The Witcher: The Griffin Contract
by YandG
Summary: Complete. This story incorporates aspects from the books and games, and takes place after the events of W3.
1. Chapter 1

Yennefer subconsciously touched the obsidian star on her neck as she starred suspiciously across the table. "What a pleasant surprise. Truly, we weren't expecting you, darling," she said sarcastically.

"Believe me, I wouldn't have come if it weren't important, Yenna," the chestnut haired sorceress replied icily, returning Yennnefer's stare with scorn. "This is the last place that I want to be, but King Tancred needs Geralt's help, urgently."

"And this request from the King of Kovir required his advisor to come in person unannounced? What happened to reaching me by megascope? You're certain you don't have any ulterior motives for coming here?" Yen retorted.

Geralt was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He had remained quiet after he had shown Triss inside the home that he shared with Yennefer. Triss had shown up late in the evening and without warning. Yennefer did not easily forgive people their transgressions in etiquette, especially someone whom she no longer trusted. The air had grown tense between them, and Geralt felt inclined to intervene. "Tell me what King Tancred needs from me, please, Triss."

Yen and Triss turned their heads to face him in unison leading Geralt to believe that they both had forgotten he was even in the room. "Right." Triss said quickly breaking away from Geralt's stare, blushing slightly. She stroked a scratch on the table as she spoke. "King Tancred would prefer to have this conversation personally, but it was much faster for me to travel alone obviously. Geralt, the king is worried that Heloiza, his younger sister, is missing. Strange things have been happening in Kovir, people have been going missing, and Heloiza hasn't been at court for the past two weeks. She's not in her quarters, and no one knows where she is."

"How is this a job for a witcher?" Geralt replied.

"Yes. I'm pondering the same," Yennefer narrowed her eyes.

"There have been sightings of a royal griffin flying over some coastal villages and they haven't found a nest yet. King Tancred thinks it might be related, so he asked that I come to you for help. He also wanted you to know that he's willing to pay you handsomely."

Geralt rubbed his chin. "So he thinks the royal griffin sighting has something to do with his missing sister?" Geralt paused. "And what do you think, Triss?"

"I'm not so sure it's related, but something strange is definitely happening. People have been going missing for months now. Everyone thinks the griffin is responsible, but when some of the soldiers tried to find it's nest, there was nothing to be found. Not a trace of the griffin."

Geralt was quiet, contemplating what Triss had just said. Griffins did enjoy taking their prey to their nests to eat slowly. Maybe Princess Heloiza was kidnapped by the griffin two weeks ago. If that were the case, she would be dead by now. But then, griffins also leave a clear indication of their presence. "No trace of a griffin you say?"

Triss met Geralt's eyes. "None. If some villagers hadn't seen the griffin, I wouldn't believe it."

"The villagers could be mistaken, but it does seem that you have some type of monster prowling around. Let me think on it for the night."

Yennefer cleared her throat, "Yes. Well, let's get ready to turn in then. It was late when you arrived and it's only grown later. I imagine you're weary from travel, Triss. Do you need something to eat? Drink? No? Fine then. We have a spare room for guests. This way please."

When Yennefer finally came into the room and shut the door, she wore a scowl. Geralt sat on the bed stretching his neck from side to side. He stopped and looked across the room at the pacing sorceress. "Are you alright, Yen?"

"Did you see the way she looked at you?" Yennefer whispered emphatically with a flash of anger in her violet eyes. "It grows increasingly tiresome that I must constantly remind her of the way that things are, that you are mine, and I am yours!"

Geralt gestured inviting Yen to the bed. She sat down next to him, rigid with fury. "Yes, I am yours and you are mine," Geralt repeated and put an arm over Yennefer's shoulders, drawing her closer to him. She seemed to thaw under his touch and responded by wrapping her arms around him. He buried his face in her raven locks and kissed her head. "But what do you make of this griffin sighting?" He asked while breathing the enticing aroma of lilac and gooseberries. Yennefer rested a hand on his chest and exhaled.

"I truly do not know, Geralt. It sounds troublesome. Though it's not really our problem." Geralt stayed quiet. Yennefer understood his silence, "I know you've been dreadfully bored in retirement."

"I've had you to keep me occupied," he said and gently squeezed her. "However, no one has found a griffin's nest? They're not particularly difficult to find."

She looked up at him, and smiled coquettishly, sneaking her hands under Geralt's tunic and tracing the sharp edges of his body. "Hmm. Yes, then, I think you should help. I think we should help. Show those Koviri soldiers what a witcher can do."

"If you think so," He looked back down at her, and touched her cheek with his rough hand. "In the morning, then. We will tell Triss that we will travel to Kovir."

"It's settled. Now please, please no more talk of Triss for the rest of tonight. I have other plans for us," she said pulling the witcher back on the bed, and tugging at his clothing.

The next morning, Geralt awoke alone. He pulled on his pants and shirt, and walked out into the living area. Triss and Yen sat silently at the table. Yennefer seemed in much better spirits today. At the sight of the witcher, she rose and quickly walked to him, embracing him and pressing her body against his. She kissed his neck. "Good morning, my love."

He looked down at her with wonder, "Good morning." He glanced up at Triss who had turned crimson. He cleared his throat and looked away quickly, "good morning, Triss."

Yennefer released Geralt and walked back to the table, "Well now that Geralt is awake, we can talk business. We've decided to help, Triss."

"Thank you both. I heard you discussing it last night," Triss replied. "I actually heard almost everything." She stood abruptly and smiled curtly at Yennefer. "I'd love to stay and visit, but I should really get back, and let Tancred know the good news. Please come without delay."

"We can be there in a day, just need some time to pack our bags. Where shall I open our portal?" Yen replied.

Triss and Yen fell silent. Geralt knew that Triss was letting Yen read her mind to find the location. Two things he disliked, mind reading and portals and yet, he could never escape them.

Yen nodded. "Very well. We'll be there this evening."

"Thank you," Triss opened her own portal and glanced at Geralt before disappearing into it.

After Triss left, Geralt sat down at the table. "What was that bit about her hearing 'almost everything'?"

Yennefer turned away and began straightening the shelves. "What? Oh, I suppose. If that's what she said."

"Yen, did you have anything to do with that? She was on the opposite side of the house."

Yen turned around to face him. "Perhaps I did, witcher," she purred, "but I felt that she needed a stronger reminder that you and I are together. For good this time." She winked.

Geralt just looked at Yen. She could be cruel sometimes, but only ever after she'd be wounded. And regardless, he loved her fiercely. "If we have to teleport to travel, would you mind if we stopped in White Orchard to check in on Ciri?"

"I was thinking the same thing. Come, I need to enchant a bag before we pack. Who knows how long we'll be."

* * *

The mid-morning sun was obscured by some clouds. He walked into the tavern with Yen trailing, both traveling with their hoods up. Geralt approached the notice board. A sign had been torn off recently. "What posting was here?" Geralt pointed to the vacant spot and turned to the innkeeper.

"Twas a posting for some nekkers that have been bothering a local farm."

"Where is this farm?"

"Who's asking?" a hulking man in rags stood up from a table in the corner.

"I am," Geralt sighed.

"And who might you lot be?" the man took a few steps closer.

"I am a witcher," Geralt spoke slowly for the brutish man to understand. "Do you know what that means?" He felt the muscles in his arms and hands tense. He prepared to draw the sword from his back.

"A witcher, eh? Why are ye traveling about these parts? Who is this wench? Ye keep her for the nights? Mind if I have a go at her?" The large man said, taking a step towards Yennefer. He reached a hand towards her. With a flash of black velvet, the man howled and brought the offending hand to his chest like a babe. A fine trail of blood appeared down his forearm.

Yennefer threw her hood back and barred her teeth at the man. "Watch your tongue, you inbred whoreson. Did you dare speak this way to the witcheress that came here before us? Be honest. Do not lie. And do not play games, or you will regret it."

"Oy, sorry mistress. I'm sorry! Please!"

Yen stepped forward.

"N-n-no. No, I wouldn't dream of speaking like that to a witcheress."

"Where is the farm that my man asked you about so nicely?"

"It's - the farm is just south of town, a potato farm. Farmer's name is Gregor," the man stammered.

"I should hope not. If I find out that you have lied to me, I will take that from you which you use to threaten women," Yennefer said while straightening her traveling shirt. Geralt and Yennefer both turned around and walked out, not paying attention to gawking expressions they just received.

When they stepped outside, Geralt turned to Yen with a puzzled expression.

"What?" She said flatly. "I'm not going to entertain the idea of some ruffian speaking to our daughter like that, Geralt. Forgive me, but I won't tolerate it. I have taken a man's tongue for lesser infractions."

Geralt mumbled, "I had it under control."

Yennefer walked ahead, "let's get to this farm. It's not far."

When they arrived at the farm, there were bodies of dead nekkers strewn about the field, but no sign of Ciri. Geralt could hear soft footsteps cracking two twigs behind them in the brush. He pretended to be ignorant, recognizing the pattern of the steps.

The brush behind them rustled, and suddenly someone landed on Geralt's back. "GOTCHA!" She shouted while covering both of his eyes with hands. He smiled broadly.

"Ciri!" Yennefer greeted her adopted daughter with a mother's embrace. She kissed Ciri on the forehead, and hugged her again.

"Yennefer! Geralt! I'm so happy to see you both!" Yennefer released Ciri, and Geralt embraced her. "Did you hear me sneaking up on you?"

Geralt smiled, "watch your footing more closely next time."

"Damn! I thought I had you," Ciri laughed. "Well what are you both doing here? I know you haven't taken the contract for nekkers because that's mine. I've already reached an agreement with the farmer. He paid me well considering there were more nekkers than he had thought."

"You've become quite the proficient witcher," Geralt said, with raised eyebrows. Ciri beamed back at him.

"We wanted to say hello before we travel to Kovir. Triss showed up last night, and summoned Geralt. Apparently Triss believes Geralt can help King Tancred more than anyone else."

Ciri nodded in acknowledgment, "What a surprise." She had always felt conflicted about the messy relationships of Geralt, Triss, and Yennefer. While Geralt and Yennefer were her parents for all intents and purposes, she thought of Triss as family too. They had all been through so much together. Ciri, however, could not forget or forgive that Triss had always tried to seduce Geralt, even when Ciri was a young girl.

Yen changed the subject, placing a hand on Ciri's cheek to inspect her scar, "How are you, my ugly one? What's this above your eyebrow? A scar? You must be more careful!

Ciri jerked her head out of Yennefer's hand, and looked at her angrily.

Yennefer put her hands up in surrender. "You didn't get any trouble at the inn, did you?"

"No trouble. One fool was eyeing me from behind though, so I flashed my sword at him, and he averted his gaze."

"Good." Yen hugged her again, this time more fiercely. "Have you enough money? When will you be home next?"

"I've one or two more contracts in me yet. Is it okay if I winter with you again?"

"Of course dear. We don't know how long we'll be, but you are always welcome. It's your home too," Yen wrapped an arm around Ciri.

Geralt enjoyed just watching their interactions. "Ciri, you know you're always welcome at home. You can stop asking every time. Your place is with us."

"Thank you." Ciri smiled. "Well, are you in a hurry? Can we dine together before you move on to Kovir? I want to hear more about what's happening there."

Yennefer nodded, and Geralt left to get food and drink from the inn, while Yennefer and Ciri found a nice secluded spot for a picnic. They ate salted fish, bread, drank wine, and had fruit for dessert while they chatted and laughed. When the afternoon began turning to evening, they said their goodbyes. Ciri went on her way, and Geralt and Yen disappeared into another portal.


	2. Chapter 2

It was nearly evening when they appeared in Kovir. A short man with closely cropped brown hair awaited them. When Geralt and Yennefer appeared through a portal, he didn't even flinch.

"Welcome, welcome, Lady Yennefer and master Geralt. My name is Hendon, steward to King Tancred of Kovir. King Tancred has been eagerly awaiting your arrival. But first, he insists that your needs are tended to. Can I get you anything? Perhaps you would like to bathe and freshen up before you meet with our king?"

Geralt differed to Yen. He hated court pleasantries. Yen intuitively handled their official interactions.

"Please escort us to your king. We should discuss the details of our visit before we take advantage of your hospitality," she answered with grace.

"Please follow me then," the short man bowed and gestured for them to follow. They walked down a large hallway with large paintings of the rulers of Kovir, the Thyssen family, in large oak frames. At the end of the hallway was the late King Esterad, Tancred's father. The Thyssens were known as just rulers. They were an old, beloved family.

The small steward walked briskly and did not turn his head to look at them when he spoke. "Lady Merigold prepared King Tancred for your arrival, Lady Yennefer. At first, he had only required the aid of the witcher." Yen shot Geralt a meaningful look. The steward continued. "But he welcomes any help at this point. He is quite distraught over his sister's disappearance. I hope that you will remain sensitive to his majesty's state of mind."

"Yes, of course," Yen replied, exchanging a glance with Geralt.

They came upon two large doors. The steward straightened his doublet and pushed one open, holding the door for Geralt and Yennefer. They entered a small but elegant chamber. A large bed with many pillows and a wool eiderdown was on one side of the room, and a small table was on the other. Sitting at the table, hunched over and writing furiously, was King Tancred of Kovir. Even sitting down, it was clear that he was tall. His hair, a dark brown, hung just below his shoulders. Hearing the door open, he jumped, put down his feather, and stood.

"My king, may I present Geralt of Rivia, witcher, and Lady Yennefer of Vengerberg, sorceress," the steward bowed. Geralt and Yennefer followed his lead.

"Yes, yes! Welcome. Thank you for coming on such short notice. I hope it didn't trouble you too much." Tancred dismissed his steward.

Geralt noticed Tancred had deep dark circles under his eyes and his brow was furrowed in a constant look of concern. The man looked like he had not slept in weeks. Yennefer broke his concentration. "No trouble at all. We thank you for your gracious hospitality, King Tancred."

"No need, no need. It is I who should thank you both. Lady Merigold reported back to me this morning promptly so I could prepare for your arrival. I trust she told you about the… situation?"

"Yes. Your sister—" Geralt started.

"My sister, Heloiza, has been abducted by a royal griffin. She was not the first to go missing, you see, but she was the last. First, villagers disappeared, then some of my soldiers, and now my own sister. She was taken by this beast for who knows what purpose. My own trusted advisor has doubts, but I know it was a royal griffin even if the soldiers cannot find a bloody nest." As he continued, his voice grew more strained. "I've seen it with my own eyes."

"Where have you seen it?" Geralt asked.

"Perched outside of my chamber windows. It stares into this very room and watches me sleep."

Geralt walked to the window and checked the latches. Secure. He turned to the king. "The beast travels. I will need to scour your lands at places where it has been seen. I will start looking right outside of your chamber."

"Thank you, witcher. You know not how this beast has plagued my being. But you will not start tonight. I insist. You must dine with us. We are having a feast for a successful harvest. After the feast, I've prepared some lovely quarters for you and Lady Yennefer." The King led them to the door. "I'm certain Lady Merigold will want to speak to you. I will make sure Hendon lets her know that you have arrived. Hendon will show you to your chambers now. I will see you this evening."

"Thank you."

The steward led them up solid stone steps and down another hallway. When they reached the quarters, Hendon bowed and excused himself. The guest chambers that King Tancred provided them were quite lavish. Tapestries hung on the walls, a large rug lain in front of a large stone fireplace, stocked with wood. Two small armchairs sat in the corner surrounding a table. One large canopy bed sat across the room from the fireplace.

"My, Geralt, perhaps we will enjoy ourselves more than I had anticipated," Yen finally said after feeling the firmness of the bed.

He set their bags down, sat down on one of the chairs and removed his swords. One steel, one silver. He began polishing the blades while Yennefer began digging through the bags.

"We must look presentable tonight, Geralt. I packed your doublet." He opened his mouth to protest. Without looking up from the bag, she interrupted him before he even began, "Fear not, it's not a new doublet so it won't chafe your delicate armpits. It's one you've worn, many times. Perhaps you recognize it?" She asked as she pulled out a black doublet with a smirk.

"That one? I remember. I wore it when you brought me to Emhyr a year ago."

"I _love_ to see you in black velvet," she replied, and winked at him flirtatiously. He shook his head with a smile and continued cleaning his blades.

* * *

The sun had nearly disappeared on the horizon completely by the time they entered the great hall. Hendon and another servant waited to hold open the doors for guests. Yennefer linked her arm to Geralt's as they entered. The tables were adorned with pumpkins for decoration scattered among the great amounts of food and wine. Geralt saw roast duck, chicken, root vegetables and copious carafes of wine, he could not wait to sit down to eat. While eyeing his options for food, he didn't even hear Triss approach until she was right next to them. She was wearing a deep red dress with a high neckline but an exposed midriff. She wore makeup that made her cornflower blue eyes stand out, and most likely glamour. When she met his eyes, she smiled warmly.

"Hello, Geralt! Yennefer. It's nice to see you two. Thank you for coming," Triss seemed to have forgotten their tense exchange earlier.

"Triss." Geralt replied, returning her smile. Yennefer nodded and smiled at her friend with a closed mouth.

"I've asked that you be seated at my table. I hope you don't mind. King Tancred won't be attending tonight. He's not feeling well."

"He's not looking well." Yennefer offered.

"True. That's why I'm so glad you both have come. I have too many obligations to be able to devote enough attention to this myself. Please, come with me."

They followed Triss to the table she was seated. Geralt sat down next to Triss, and Yennefer sat on his other side. Geralt poured Yennefer a glass of wine, then Triss, and then himself. It was a dry red, perfectly aged. They feasted and talked. Yennefer was carefree, and Geralt enjoyed watching her laugh and speak with her old friend. Triss too seemed to be more laid back. He even felt more calm that normal. Perhaps it was the wine.

Sometime later, in the middle of Triss's extended joke, he felt Yennefer's foot on his ankle. She caressed his leg slowly and gently. He replied by putting his arm around her, and she scooted closer. Triss didn't seem to notice. After all, she had nearly two carafes of wine to herself. Triss finished her joke and lightly slapped her hand on Geralt's leg. She hovered her hand a bit too long until she realized and pulled it away, growing serious. Yennefer had seen it, but didn't react. Triss blanched. She pushed her chair away from the table, and stood. "Well, it's been a lovely evening. Truly. But I must retire for the night."

"We should too." Yennefer replied, standing herself. "Goodnight, Triss."

"Goodnight, Yennefer. Geralt," and with that, Triss turned and walked away. Geralt stood up and noticed that the feast had died down significantly. They were nearly the only ones left aside from an older couple that had clearly imbibed the wine. They held each other and danced slowly on in the middle of the great hall.

Yennefer looked at them and smiled. "Do you think we'll have that kind of ending, Geralt?"

He took her hand. "I do."

They returned to their chambers. Yennefer promptly disrobed and prepared a bath while Geralt rearranged his swords, putting them within reach of his place on the bed.

Yennefer soaked in the tub, wordless, for quite some time. She finally spoke, "Sometimes, I don't know what to think."

He turned around to look at her. "What about?"

"I can see how happy you made Triss. You must have truly pleased her when you were together."

"Oh." Geralt replied and quickly turned around.

"Don't turn away from me, witcher. I mean to have an honest conversation about this. It's a better time than any since we'll be in close quarters with her… for an extended length. Leaving these things unsaid is so banal and juvenile."

"I don't know what to say."

She raised her hands from the water, and put them on the brim of the tub. "Then don't say anything, darling. Just listen." He turned back to look at her. "I saw the way she looked at you tonight. I see it every time she looks at you. I feel badly for her, honestly. As I've told you before, her and I were friends long before I had even met you. We understood each other well at one time. I would like to get that back, as long as I don't have to worry about you making a fool of me. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes. You don't have to worry about anything, Yennefer. I would never do what you're suggesting."

"You've done it before."

"But I wouldn't now."

"Very well, Geralt. I trust you. I trust you more than any other man I've ever know, and especially loved." She got out of the bath and dried herself off. "We have quite the day ahead of us tomorrow." She said as she walked, completely naked, over to the bag. "We'll need to have clear minds before you investigate the terrace outside of Tancred's chambers."

"Mm hmm." He replied while he watched her.

"Damn it. I forgot my nightgown." She looked over at him.

He shrugged, "We don't have night clothes normally anyway."

"True enough." She walked over to the bed and sat down on the opposite side. She slid her legs underneath the blankets. Geralt removed his clothing and joined her. She snuggled up next to him and they drifted off to sleep in an embrace.

* * *

A sharp rap at the door woke Geralt right away. Yennefer groaned next to him, "Geralt?"

He got out of bed, pulled on a pair of pants and opened the door quickly with a little agitation, "what is it?"

"Oh. I didn't realize you were still asleep." Triss was standing at the door wearing traveling pants and a button down shirt. "I came to get you. I'd like to come with you and Yenna this morning." He saw her look past him, inside the room. Yen was mostly covered but her bare shoulders were still exposed. "I can come back."

Geralt cracked the door so she couldn't see past him. "Can we meet you in a little while?"

"Of course. I'll be in the great hall."

"Thanks." He shut the door and returned to the bed. "Yen, it's time to get out of bed." She groaned again and pulled the covers up over her head. "Come on." He said as he pulled the blankets back, revealing her from underneath. She stretched when the cool air was on her skin.

"Must we get out of bed? I was having a marvelous dream."

"You're always having a marvelous dream."

"Only when I'm sleeping next to you."

He leaned over her and kissed her. She grabbed his hands and put them on her breasts. "What are you doing? We need to go."

"Are you certain?" she said as she started unfastening his pants.

He inhaled sharply when she touched him. "Yes, Triss is waiting for us."

She frowned slightly. "So let her wait."

"We have to be fast," he said, climbing on top of her.

"Oh, we can be. Oh. Oh my."

When they finally entered the great hall, Triss was sitting at a large table with King Tancred, looking even more haggard than the day before.

"Good morning." The king looked up from his plate of food.

"Good morning, King Tancred. Good morning, Triss," Yen said.

"You finally made it." Triss said knowingly.

Yen placed her hand on the small of Geralt's back, "Yes, we needed a little extra time this morning. I simply didn't want to get out of bed."

"Anyway," Geralt said after no one replied. "Were you going to join us today, Triss?"

"Yes. If you're ready."

"We are," Geralt replied before Yen could say anything.

They exited the great hall and went outside to the terrace. The morning was chilly. Triss led Yen and Geralt to the veranda outside of Tancred's chambers. Geralt looked around while Triss and Yen talked.

He inspected the pedestal outside of Tancred's room. It had a perfect view inside. If the griffin has perched itself there, he surely would be able to see that it was there. He smelled the scent of burnt wood and something that smelled like sulfur. He followed the smell. It led him to the bushes on the terrace. There was a small pile of pebble-like ash beneath. "Yen! Triss!"

Yen and Triss came over to him.

"Look at this."

Both sorceresses looked at the small pile. Triss furrowed her brow and Yen shrugged. Geralt stood up, "It smells like sulfur. Do either of you know what to make of this?"

"I have no idea. Do you Triss?" Yen answered.

"That looks like the mineral miners get from the coast, but I don't know about it smelling like sulfur," Triss replied.

"I need to know more about this area," Geralt concluded. "Is there some place that has a history of the land?"

Triss nodded, "There is a library here."

"We should go immediately," Yen declared.

Geralt nodded and they went to the library. It was on the second floor of the castle. Triss opened the door to a room with more books than shelves. There were books stacked in piles on the floor. As soon as they had stepped inside, Hendon showed up at the doorway and called Triss away. Yen and Geralt were left to look for a book with the history of the area.

"You know, Geralt, I had a vision of you in a room very much like this one… Fringilla Vigo was there."

"Strange." Geralt said while looking around.

"Yes. It was very interesting. Notice I said vision and not dream."

"Yen… what do you want me to say? That was ages ago. I'm sorry. Do you really want to talk about it right now?"

"I suppose not. I can find it in my heart to forgive your transgressions, lucky for you. Just so long as you promise to make it up to me sometime."

"Mm hmm."

"What exactly are we looking for, Geralt?"

"I'm not entirely sure. It'd be some sort of ancient tome. Triss would know more."

Triss suddenly reappeared in the doorway of the library. "I do know a little more about what we're looking for. It's a book titled _The Koviri Dominance_ by Demin Seymour. It's a sizeable volume… with a grey cover."

"If you know it so well, why can't you just tell us the contents? It'd save time," Yen mumbled.

"Well I don't know what Geralt wants exactly, Yennefer," Triss shot back.

"That's quite clear," Yen rolled her eyes and glanced down the row of endless shelves. "I've had enough of this. Now that we know the title, I'll just cast a spell to get the book." Yen held her hands and recited a spell. The book flew from a shelf and landed gently into Yennefer's hands.

"There we are." She held it out to Geralt.

He took the book from her and frowned. "This is a larger than I anticipated."

"Your talents are better spent elsewhere, darling. I'll read this for you. You should go investigate the other sightings. Triss if you would go with Geralt?" Yen turned to Triss.

"Of course." Triss replied with a nod.

Yen shot Geralt a smoldering look, "Geralt, please don't keep me waiting too long tonight. I find myself feeling insatiable."


	3. Chapter 3

Yennefer returned to the chambers she shared with Geralt. She opened the curtains that covered a large window near the table and sat down. She sighed, put her hair back, and opened the large tome they had found in the library. She thought to herself that Geralt was lucky she was around for she surely read much faster than he. She welcomed the solitude of her task, but she also realized that the room was incredibly cold and lonely without his presence. She shook her head slightly, and began reading the tome.

 _This book covers the history of Kovir, the richness of the lands here, and the local lore. This land was first ruled by his majesty Prince Tojden, brother of the most vile ruler King Radovid I of Redania. Brothers only in blood, Radovid banished Tojden to these beloved lands to remove our ruler from his presence. This decision proved most foolish when it was discovered that our lands were rich with fertile soils perfect for squash and root vegetables; abundant fauna like fat elk and rabbits; abundant edible flora like winter berry bushes; seawaters overflowing with fish like perch, zander, bass, pike; and not to mention our precious minerals._

"Wonderful," Yennefer said aloud, "I can tell this tome is going to be incredibly riveting…" She rubbed her eyes. She briefly looked out of the window of the castle. Lan Exeter, the winter palace of Kovir, was beautiful in autumn. Her thoughts changed to Geralt and Triss spending time alone together and she grew anxious. Again, she shook her head and focused again on her task. "Oh heavens. I'll just enchant this book." She chanted a spell and the book rose off of the table slightly and the words became audible. She got up and paced around the room as she listened.

… _King Radovid III of Redania allied with Benda of Kaedwen and attempted to take our great lands from King Gedovius to no avail. We repelled the greed of the south…_

Yennefer walked back and forth from wall to wall as she listened. It was dreadfully boring, and she began to worry that she would fall asleep were she not pacing. She stopped at the window and peered out to the village down below wondering what Geralt was doing at that moment.

"More on Kovir than I'd ever want to know," she muttered as she turned away from the window and began to pace again.

There was a knock at the door. She waved her hand to cease the reading of the book. When she opened it, the steward, Hendon, stood in front of her holding a tray with a meal on it. "Good evening, my lady. King Tancred insisted that I make sure you have a proper meal. It's past midday and you've not graced his majesty with your presence for the midday meal."

"My apologies to King Tancred. I hadn't realized that it was already getting so late. I thank you for bringing my meal to me." Yennefer bowed her head slightly and received the tray from Hendon.

"The servants said that master Geralt and Lady Merigold left this morning. What time do you expect them back?"

"I'm not sure. Hopefully before sundown."

"Ah, very good. King Tancred is expecting an update as soon as they arrive."

"I'll be sure to let them know."

Hendon bowed and excused himself. Yennefer shut the door and set the tray down on the table near the book. The tray contained a rack of lamb with roasted potatoes today, and a full carafe of wine. She hadn't realized that she had been hungry until the food arrived. She waved a hand to resume the reading and began to eat.

* * *

Geralt and Triss had boarded a small rowboat to reach the coastal part of the village. In Lan Exeter, there were canals instead of roads. Geralt rowed while Triss gave him directions. They finally reached the poorer parts of the village, and Triss indicated the first house they should visit, a small shack with a rickety door. Geralt knocked, and a small older woman answered the door.

"Aye?" she asked. She was hunched over with age.

"Are you the mother of Eliasz?" Triss asked.

"Aye," the old woman nodded and lowered her head. "I am. The name's Ewa."

"I'm Triss, court sorceress, and this is Geralt, a witcher. We came to ask you some questions about your son's disappearance, Ewa."

"Aye," Ewa responded sadly and held open the door for them. The inside of the house was small, but clean. She had an uneven table with two shaky chairs that she moved for them to sit in. Geralt gestured for her to sit down instead of him, and she obliged.

"What can I tell you lot?" She asked.

"It's my understanding that your son disappeared in front of you."

"Not quite. I was just outside, and he was fishin'. We can only get fish from the sea, ye see. I came in to get a bucket to haul in the fish. Was only inside for a moment, but he was gone when I got outside. Just him. The fishin' pole was still laying on the ground."

"So he disappeared from just outside?"

"Aye."

"I'm sorry this has happened to you. We're looking for everyone that's disappeared."

"Aye, I've heard. Since the King's sister went missin'," Ewa said with a twinge of bitterness in her voice.

Triss cleared her throat and looked away. Geralt broke the silence, "The king hired me to find out what happened to everyone, not just his sister. And I aim to do that."

Ewa just looked at him and nodded.

"Thank you for your help," Triss said and smiled faintly. They left and walked to where Ewa's son had disappeared, just along the coast.

"Are all of the villagers unhappy with Tancred?" Geralt asked when they got out of earshot of the house.

"Ah… yeah. King Tancred didn't want to really get involved at first. He thought the villagers could sort it out. Then he thought that the soldiers could sort it out. And now here we are. Not a job for a group of common villagers or even soldiers, that's for sure. I… I tried to get him to hire you right away, but he wouldn't take my counsel."

Geralt looked at her and nodded. "This is about the spot where Eliasz disappeared." Geralt looked around. He saw footprints, but they were old. Something caught his nose. Sulfur. He followed the smell to another small pile of pebble-like ash, just like the one outside of King Tancred's bedchamber. This pile was scattered a bit, and a barely visible trail of ash led away from the beach towards the cliffs along the coast. Geralt turned to Triss, "We should head this way. There's a trail." Triss nodded and followed.

The trail led them along the beaches of Lan Exeter and disappeared a cliff's wall. Geralt looked up to the top. It wasn't very tall, but the wall was very steep. "Hmm. This won't be fun to scale."

Triss looked at him with an offended expression, "Why would we scale it? Did you forget I'm a sorceress? I'll just open a portal."

"I was hoping to avoid that. I hate portals."

"Oh, please." She waved her hand to dismiss him, and waved another to open a portal.

They entered and emerged at the top of the cliff, but right on the edge. Triss lost her footing and started to fall back. Geralt caught Triss by the arm quickly and pulled her back towards him, putting his hand on the small of her back to steady her. Triss gasped, and regained her balance, pressed her body against Geralt's.

"Calm down, Triss. I've got you."

Triss stopped struggling and regained her composure. "Right," she said firmly.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine, I'm fine."

Geralt walked past her, "This way then. The trail continues." They walked for a ways, navigating through thick woods, the ground covered in snow. They walked in silence. Geralt signaled for them to stop. "Wait," he whispered. She stopped and her foot crunched snow. She looked at him, concerned. He heard something but couldn't quite make it out. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and fell to the ground, the world in a haze. Triss, too fell, but she had been knocked unconscious. Geralt felt his swords being removed from his back, and his arms bound behind him. Someone tied Triss's arms as well, but Geralt's vision was too hazy to let him make out any details. He felt something hook under his bound hands and began dragging him, face down on the ground alongside Triss. He raised his head to look in the direction they were being dragged and saw what he thought was a griffin right before passing out.

* * *

The sun had disappeared below the horizon, and Yennefer was still listening to the book. She was growing restless since Geralt should have already returned. She held her hand in front of her face to check the cleanliness of her fingernails. They were sufficiently clean, but she couldn't deny herself of the pleasure of a bath. And certainly, Geralt would need a bath when he returned as well. She summoned fresh ocean water, and heated it with a spell. She shook her head after she was done. That one always made her feel nauseous. After disrobing, and stepping into the tub, she laid back and closed her eyes, enjoying the warm soak while she was listening to the monotonous book.

She began daydreaming about her quiet life with Geralt. She thought, "Maybe we could get a dog or cat. Maybe we could build a secluded cottage by the sea in like he desired in Skellige. Yes, that sounds wonderful. Perhaps I should contact Giancardi in Gors Velen or Vimme Vivaldi in Novigrad to arrange –." Her thoughts were interrupted by the book. She sat up, and waved her hand so she could rehear what was just said.

… _The caves near the coast are rich in ferroaurom, a rare precious metal that can be manipulated with magic, and kryobelitium, a rare stone that suppresses magic. The miners have always avoided these caves as these are dangerous materials and the proud profit of Kovir is to be made in gold- and dimeritium-mining._

"That's strange," Yennefer waved for the book to stop reading. She got out of the tub quickly, dried off and put her clothes on. She began to worry about Geralt since it was nearly midnight and he was not back yet. She left the chambers and walked to the great hall. Hendon and other servants were seated around a table for their meal, meaning King Tancred had retired for the night and the evening guests had left. She approached the table, "Hendon, have you seen Geralt or Triss?"

"No, my lady. I expect them to be back any time."

"Hmm. Thank you." Yennefer turned around and walked back to her chambers, growing worried. She entered the chambers and shut the door. She bit her lip and began pacing again. "Where are you, witcher," she said aloud.


	4. Chapter 4

Geralt opened his eyes but his vision was still blurry. He was lying down and someone was placing his arms and legs in shackles. His head was throbbing. He groaned.

"He's waking up," Geralt heard a rough voice.

"Well knock him back out then," a woman replied, her voice familiar. Another hard hit landed on his head and everything went black.

* * *

Yennefer sat on the edge of the bed shaking her leg. She was chewing on her fingers, a bad habit very few people knew about. She looked at the door and squinted, deep in thought. _Geralt should have been back hours ago. How long should I wait? If he's with Triss, who knows what's going on… If he's just caught up, he'll be upset that I came to find him… However, if he's truly in danger, I should not wait._

Having made up her mind, she stood up abruptly and walked over to their bag. She pulled out black trousers and a black tunic. She quickly changed her clothes, tucking in the tunic, putting a cloak over her shoulders, pulling on black gloves and hiding a pearl handled dagger in her boot. She rushed down the hallway to the library.

After finding the book she needed, she pulled a detailed map of Kovir from it and laid the map flat on a table. She pulled a crystal from her pocket and hovered it over the map, reciting a spell. The crystal spun slowly and then faster and faster. It spun violently over the cliffs just south of Lan Exeter. Yennefer caught the crystal, put it back in her pocket.

She rushed to the steward's quarters, knocking urgently upon reaching it. Hendon opened. He was wearing a nightdress. "Lady Yennefer. It's the middle of the night."

"Yes, I'm aware, but this can't wait any longer. Tell King Tancred immediately that Geralt and Triss have yet to return, and that I'm leaving to find them."

"Oh... Yes, of course." Hendon said while rubbing sleep from his eyes. "I'll go wake his majesty right away. He'll want to speak to you."

"No, there isn't any time for that. Just deliver my message, Hendon," she said as she turned to walk away. She pulled her hood over her head, and walked briskly to the main doors of the castle.

Yen approached the docks. Smoke rose out of the window of a small hut. She knocked on the door. Yennefer could see her breath in front of her face. A short, portly man opened after a few moments, "What?"

"I need transport, immediately. I'll pay you," she said while turning her hand over to show a small bag of coins.

"Hmm… Where to?" the man said as he licked his lips greedily.

"I need to go to the cliffs south of Lan Exeter right away."

"Fine. Do you need to leave now? The moon is high, so the tide is high."

"I understand, but yes, I must leave now. Please. I'll double your pay."

"Alright, alright. Let's go, miss," the man said as he pulled on his hat and grabbed his coat. He led her down to the docks to a small rowboat. He put one foot into the boat to keep it steady, then held his hand out to Yennefer. She smiled politely, but without teeth, and stepped into the boat past his hand. He cleared his throat and settled into his seat. He pulled the oars up from the floor of the boat and began rowing.

"Why do you need to head to this way in the middle of the night, if you don't mind my asking?"

Yennefer paused before she decided that it was easier to not explain, "I do mind."

When they reached the shore, Yennefer stood. The man struggled to stand up, and Yen gestured for the man to not bother. She stepped out of the boat gracefully. She threw two small pouches of gold coins into his boat. He tipped his hat to her, nodded, and shoved off back to the docks. Yennefer turned around and looked at the face of a small cliff. She removed her hood and focused. "Magical energy. A portal was opened here... Triss. To the top then." Yen opened her own portal and appeared at the top of the cliff. "Well at least there's just one way to go." Yen entered the snowy woods carefully, quietly.

* * *

"What is this?" Geralt said after coming to. He found himself strapped to a table in a small cave. A fire was lit in a cutout of the wall, and small torches surrounded the exterior of the room.

"Ah, welcome back. You witchers don't stay unconscious for long, do you?" He heard the same rough voice as earlier. A man appeared over Geralt's face. He was tall and burly, with a scar over his right eyebrow exposed underneath his mop of red hair. He was putting metal knuckles back onto his fist when Geralt heard someone else enter. Soft footsteps. A woman.

"Stop. I want to talk to him first," she said. Her voice was like velvet, smooth and low. A voice he knew well. She came closer, and his suspicions were confirmed.

"Philippa." He said, mostly as confirmation for himself.

"Geralt. It's so good of you to join me here. I mean, truly, you basically walked in by yourself."

"What are you doing? Why am I tied up? Where is Triss? And Heloiza?"

Philippa laughed. "Which question should I answer first?" She leaned over him so her face was inches away from his. "The first question is idiotic – I'm here on official Lodge business, as usual. The second – you're tied up because I need something from you, which we'll get to momentarily. The third – Triss is in another room. I'm certain she'll see things my way soon, as she always does. And finally, Heloiza is in my chambers. I understand there was quite the row over her disappearance, but she didn't disappear, she ran away, to be with me."

"Congratulations, Philippa. Truly, I couldn't be happier for you. I'd embrace you if I weren't tied to a table right now. It also seems that you've gotten your vision back, though I see you haven't lost the ribbon."

"No need for sarcasm, Geralt. It doesn't suit you." Something big in the corner of the room moved. It was the griffin Geralt had seen earlier, but something was off.

"Do you have a griffin, Philippa?"

"I suppose you could say I have a griffin of sorts. You see, Geralt, these mines are full of wonderful metals and stones that can either be manipulated by magic, or resist magic."

"And you have plans for them?"

"My, you're astute. I can't believe that you figured it out. The griffin that everyone has been so upset about is a stone monster that I've enchanted. Looks quite like a griffin, but much more predictable. The only trouble is that right now, he leaves a trail of sulfur, of which you are aware. But I'm working on it."

"Where are the rest of the villagers and soldiers that have gone missing?"

"You're very demanding, Geralt. One in your position shouldn't be so. But I'll indulge you, simply for old times sake. In simple terms, they're working for me. It is, of course, more complicated than that, but you understand."

"Working for you… they're mining for you, aren't they?"

"Goodness, Geralt! If you keep catching on to my plans so keenly, you might have a future as a scholar instead of a witcher."

Geralt rolled his eyes. "What is it that you need from me so desperately that you have to restrain me?"

"Well, two things, really. I need Yennefer, unfortunately," Philippa paused and grimaced. Her disdain for Yennefer was well-known. "It turns out the Lodge has need of her. For what you might ask, and I will simply reply 'not your concern.' And I also need Yennefer to cooperate, which is why you're tied up. Bargaining chip. No additional harm will come to you, if she obliges. I'm sending word to her that you're in captivity in the morning, and where to find you. It's quite the rudimentary trap, but it will suffice."

"Yennefer won't come quietly."

"I know. That's why we've taken these precautions," she said, gesturing to the restraints.

"And who is your lackey?"

"My name is Thom, lieutenant commander of the Lan Exeter guard," the man stepped forward, with his fist at his chest in a salute.

"What have you done to him, Philippa?"

"A rather simple spell, a promise of fortune and fame," Philippa said while smiling at the soldier. Thom smiled in response.

"The other Lodge members know about your plans here?"

"Of course."

"And they support you?"

"Geralt, so many questions. You've been with Yennefer for too long. You've forgotten what it's like to leave something to be desired," she said as she started to turn and walk away. "Now, I must go talk to Triss. I hope you're comfortable. We've got a big day tomorrow."

Thom approached Geralt again with the metal knuckles on. He swung his fist, and everything went dark again.

* * *

Yen stepped softly through the woods, careful to avoid twigs. Luckily, she found Geralt and Triss's trail from earlier. She followed the footsteps in the snow, quietly, tracing Geralt's steps to avoid making noise. The trail suddenly became muddled, messy with many steps, and then what looked like the trail of two bodies being dragged through snow. Yennefer gritted her teeth, pulled her cloak tighter, and continued. She came upon another mountain, but sensed a magical aura. _An illusion_ , she thought, waving her hand to expose an opening in the mountain. She recited a spell that enabled her to see in the dark, and entered the cave.

Yennefer could hear echoing sounds in the distance, like metal on stone. _Someone is mining in here. It must be the ferroaurom or kyrobelitium._ She moved silently through the cave, with her back to the wall. It was clear that someone had been there; the cave walls were too smooth to have formed naturally and Yennefer could feel the magic radiating from them. She followed the cave until she came to a crossroads with three directions. To her left, the cave went downhill and she heard the echoing of the pickaxe hitting against stone. To her right, she saw a faint flicker of light but no sounds. Yennefer went right.

A suspicious feeling kept creeping up her spine with each step forward. She decided to send a projection ahead of herself first. She recited a quiet spell and an illusion appeared before her. The illusion was in her image. She sent it ahead noiselessly, as she followed from a safe distance. Her projection fluttered forward until suddenly, a red haired man appeared with sword drawn and cut through the middle of the projection. Yennefer stopped and pulled the dagger from her boot.

The man, taken aback from slicing through air, grunted, "who's there?" He stepped towards Yennefer. She could see him but he could not see her.

She readied herself, preparing to pounce. He moved closer and closer with his sword ready, until he was within striking distance. She leapt forward to his left, cutting with her dagger as she flew. He stumbled but slashed his sword at her, too slowly. He missed. She responded, thrusting her dagger with full force at the man. She caught him in the shoulder. The dagger stuck, she couldn't remove it. She leapt backwards away from him like a cat, landing in a crouching position.

He pulled the knife from his shoulder and threw it on the ground. "Shit! What the fuck was that? Show yourself!" the man shouted. His voice echoed through the cave.

Yennefer quickly recited a spell and took his voice from him. She could see him grasping his throat, trying to scream to no avail. She cast another spell, paralyzing him. He fell backwards stiff as a board.

After waiting to make sure that no one heard the commotion, Yennefer retrieved her dagger, wiped it off, and caught her breath. She continued through the cave until she came upon another crossroads. _I'll have to remember my way,_ she thought. The right had flickers of light, and the left was dark. She chose the left this time. She came upon a small room with medical equipment, a fully stocked hospital. On the left wall, she spotted an opening to another room. The room was completely dark, but she found what she had been seeking.

"Geralt!" she whispered hurriedly to him. He didn't respond. She moved closer to him, and saw his restraints, dimeritium. "Shit." The witcher was unconscious; his face bruised and bloody. She shook him, but he didn't wake. She slapped him lightly on the cheeks, trying to avoid his bruises, and he groaned softly. "Wake up, Geralt! We must go!" She went to the desk in the corner to search for a key to his shackles. With a stroke of luck, she found it.

Yennefer freed him, but he was still unable to move. She recited another spell, wearying herself, however she could carry his weight. Yennefer put his arm around her neck, and walked him out of the room as noiselessly as she could. She navigated them successfully through the cave maze and when they got outside, she immediately opened a portal and transported them both back to their chambers.

Yennefer felt her strength waning after her rescue mission. She dropped Geralt onto the bed, still unconscious, before collapsing there herself, also unconscious.


	5. Chapter 5

Triss opened her eyes. "Oh, my head," she moaned as she lifted her hands to the bump on the back of her head. She found herself in a room with a low ceiling. There were candles all around. "Where am I? Heloiza?"

"Hello, Triss!" Heloiza said, as she sat on the edge of the bed where Triss lay. "Philippa will be here in a moment. I'll have her tend to your head. It must hurt awfully."

"Wha- what? Philippa? Heloiza, I've been looking for you. We have to get you home. Have you seen a witcher?" Triss propped herself up, and swung her legs over the bed.

"Slow down, Triss. I'm not going anywhere. The witcher you speak of is in the other room. Philippa wished to speak with him while you were out."

The door of the room flew open, and Philippa entered noiselessly. "Triss. How's your head? I wasn't expecting you to be accompanying Geralt. I hope you weren't hurt too badly," Philippa said as she strode across the room to a small table with a decanter of wine. She recited a spell to produce two glasses. "We need to talk Triss. Heloiza, please give us a moment. Would you please, darling?"

Heloiza stood up off of the bed, and ran her hand through her long brown hair. "Of course, darling. I'll just be right outside," and walked out of the door.

"Where is Geralt?" Triss asked a little too demandingly.

Philippa looked at Triss with a gaze that made Triss look away, even through the ribbon. "Calm down, Triss. He's fine, in the other room. Your obsession with him is getting exhausting," Philippa said, handing Triss a glass of wine. She took it and drank. "Good. Now, I have some Lodge business to discuss with you."

"What business?"

"Good of you to ask. It shows initiative. Just what I, and the Lodge, are expecting of its members." Triss rolled her eyes. Philippa continued, ignoring Triss's reaction, "You see, Triss, I am here convincing the poor people of Lan Exeter to mine precious metal and stone for us. We're going to use these materials to make guardians for the Lodge. I have somewhat of a prototype. Heloiza! Bring in my griffin!"

Heloiza opened the door, and a large stone griffin entered the room. It was hulking, solid stone with light amber eyes. Philippa invited the creature to her. It approached and nuzzled against her hip, and she responded by petting it gently on the head.

"You see, Triss, this stone is able to be manipulated by magic. And the metals here, we have yet to find a use for, but as mages, metal that can resist magic would be priceless against our enemies," Philippa stopped and turned her head to face Triss. Triss couldn't make eye contact because Philippa wore a ribbon over her eyes.

"I see the merits, Philippa. But what are our plans after we've obtained these resources?" Triss asked.

Philippa smiled, "Yes, our plans. Well, you see, we clearly need to obtain the upper hand in the Northern lands. It's simply unfathomable that Nilfgaard would rule the North, and only Temeria exists as a vassal. The Lodge aims to change that, Triss. We are going to take back the North. We are going to rule."

Triss was silent for a moment, "Ambitious goals."

"Indeed. But I've achieved the impossible already," Philippa smirked, fondling with the edge of the ribbon on her face. "For example." She untied the ribbon from the back of her head, and it fell to the floor. She looked directly at Triss. Her eyes blazed in a icy blue color. Triss gasped. Philippa's smile widened, "Yes, Triss. I succeeded in regrowing my eyes. Radovid may have taken the originals, but I succeeded where Vilgefortz failed. I regrew my eyes."

"Incredible. Do you know the risk you put yourself in?" Triss couldn't help from starring. She stood from the bed, and held Philippa's head in her hands to get a better look.

"I appreciate your concern. I'm fine. My vision is restored, though I find myself sensitive to light. These eyes will need time to mature." Philippa held Triss's hands and lowered them from her head.

Heloiza opened the door, saw Philippa and Triss holding hands, and narrowed her eyes. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Don't be foolish, Hely. Triss and I are simply old friends," Philippa said, releasing Triss.

Heloiza crossed her arms, "Well, something's happened. I heard yelling, so I went to investigate, and I found Thom lying on the ground, immobile."

"What?!" Philippa erupted, and tore from the room. Triss followed. And Heloiza trailed behind. They ran down a dark hallway with many twists and turns. The hallway turned into a small cave, and the cave led to a small sitting area that was well lit.

"What is this room for?" Triss wondered aloud.

"Guests," Philippa replied matter-of-factly without skipping a beat. They turned a corner and entered another length of the cave. They almost stepped on Thom. "What is this?" Philippa shoved Thom with her foot. "Magically paralyzed," she sighed. "Well, let's remedy that." Philippa waved her hand, and Thom began coughing and gasping for air.

"Fff-fuckin' hell," Thom groaned while rolling to his side and grasping his shoulder.

"What happened?" Philippa said flatly, more as a statement than a question.

"A wraith, a wraith fuckin' stabbed me," Thom shouted.

"Don't be ridiculous. I sense magic," Philippa said dryly.

Triss focused on the residual energy, "It was Yenna."

Philippa clenched her fists and scowled, "She wasn't to come yet. Damn it."

"A fucking sorceress bitch did this to me?!" Thom rose to his knees.

"Oh, shut up, Thom." Philippa rolled her eyes.

"Not just any 'sorceress bitch," Triss confirmed. "Yennefer is as powerful as the best of us. What did you mean, Philippa, when you said she wasn't to come yet?"

"I intended for her to arrive tomorrow. After I sent for her, and showed my bargaining chip. We need her."

"How so?"

"We need a ruler for the Northern kingdoms. We need Cirilla," Philippa confirmed Triss's suspicions.

Triss didn't say anything.

Philippa spat, "I suppose we've lost the witcher then as well."

* * *

Geralt sat up suddenly, scanning the room with his eyes. _How did I get here?_ He looked down at the tangle of black curls lying next to him. "Yen?"

Yen opened her eyes. She muttered, "Dammit," as she rubbed her forehead with the heel of her hand. She sat up slowly, and looked at Geralt briefly before throwing her arms around him in an embrace. She pulled back sharply after more than a moment, and released him. "Geralt, what were you thinking? How could you be so careless?"

"What happened? The last thing I remember, I was walking through the woods with Triss, and we were ambushed. How did I end up here?"

"Well… you hadn't returned, so I improvised. I went to retrieve you," Yen said as she got up off of the bed. "Oh, I'm still exhausted. I used a great deal of energy getting you out of there. We need to talk to King Tancred immediately. Do you remember anything?"

Geralt starred for a moment. "Yes. Philippa was there. She's planning something with the mine."

"Philippa? You must be joking."

"No, she wanted to use me as bait to get to you. Did you get Triss out of there too?"

"I couldn't," Yen turned to face him. "I could barely get you out of there. Another reason we need to speak with Tancred. Come. Get out of bed. Do you need help up?"

"No, I'm fine. Philippa's assistant just hit me on the head a few times. He was surprisingly strong," Geralt said as he stood up.

"I think I may have run into him on my way to you," Yen said.

When they entered his quarters, King Tancred stood in front of his fireplace, gazing at the flames. Hendon had ushered them inside quickly, without ceremony. Upon entering, Yennefer coughed quietly, still leaning on Geralt. Tancred turned around to face them, his cheeks were gaunter, and his dark circles were more pronounced. "Ah, Yennefer, so glad to see your hurried mission from last night was successful."

Yennefer bowed her head slightly, "Thank you."

"Yes, and Geralt, I'm glad to see you back safely. Though, I wish I could say the same for my advisor and my sister." Yennefer opened her mouth to speak, but Tancred raised a hand to silence her. "Geralt, what have you learned?"

"Your majesty, the sorceress Philippa Eilhart is responsible for the griffin sightings, she has some sort of animated stone replica. The missing villagers are working for her in the mines."

"So she's gathering slaves. And my sister?"

"Philippa claims that your sister was not abducted, but left on her own accord to be with Philippa. They're… lovers."

King Tancred's upper lip twitched. "Impossible. I refuse to believe that my sister left like that. She would never embarrass our family in such a manner. I want you, witcher, to get my sister back by any means. I want you to end this… Philippa Eilhart."

Yennefer broke her silence, "King Tancred, Philippa Eilhart is a very powerful member of the Lodge. She likely won't be alone, especially after I infiltrated the mine last night. We should try to negotiate."

Tancred narrowed his eyes, "Let me explain something to you both. In Kovir, we are isolated, and proud to be isolated because we don't involve ourselves in the politics and wars of the southern territories. We don't send aid. We don't negotiate. Now that we know more, I want this situation resolved. I've been a gracious host, given you luxurious quarters and feasts. Now repay my kindness by returning my sister and my sorceress."

Yennefer was about to protest again, when Geralt squeezed her hand. Instead, she just nodded. Geralt replied, "We will leave at once. Might I borrow a sword, your grace? Mine are unfortunately held captive still."

"Of course," Tancred gestured to Hendon, who had been standing near the door silently. Hendon left the room quickly to retrieve a blade for Geralt.

"Thank you, King Tancred," Geralt bowed. Yennefer followed, though somewhat stiff, perhaps because of her exhaustion, or because of her anger. Tancred dismissed them, and Hendon was waiting outside with a sword wrapped in leathers. He handed the sword to Geralt without saying anything.

Geralt took it and examined the blade's edge. He nodded to the steward.

Hendon wrapped his hands behind his back. "I had hoped that you would have taken my advice. Remember, our king is… under great stress right now. Do not provoke his ire again."

Yennefer grimaced in response. Geralt hardened his expression. Hendon bowed, and walked away.

"To the coast then?" Yennefer offered weakly.

Geralt gritted his teeth. "No. We aren't going anywhere until you rest, Yen. Nothing is worth your health," he bared his teeth.

Yennefer leaned into Geralt, wrapping her arm around his head. He wrapped an arm around her waist instinctively, and led her back to their room. She tilted her head to look him in the eye, "I wasn't expecting such concern."

He looked into her eyes, "And I was expecting you to protest."

"Why would I?"

"Because it's an admission of weakness."

"No, Geralt, it's an admittance of requiring a pause, a breath before performing incredible feats. It's not a weakness." Geralt smiled.


	6. Chapter 6

Philippa appeared on the megascope. "We have an issue."

He looked up from his desk, covered in scrolls and texts, at Philippa. "What is it? Have you made contact with Yennefer?"

"No. I had the witcher, but before I was able to bargain, she infiltrated the cave, and recovered him. I wasn't anticipating her being so…"

"Formidable? I warned you, Philippa. I've been watching her for some time. I know how she's changed. You thought you knew her. You were too confident in your idea of her, and you were wrong. Now we've lost her."

"Momentarily. I still have Triss with me. I've told her we are truly after Cirilla, that we need her to rule the North."

He was quiet for a moment. "Did you tell Triss of my involvement?"

"Of course not."

"Good. Come back for now. We need a new plan. Transport the minerals that we've gathered so far, and destroy the mine."

"What?" Philippa wasn't sure she had heard correctly.

"Destroy the mine. Blow it up."

"What of the people that we've gathered?"

"What of them? Their minds have been wiped. All they know is mining. There is no undoing what we've done to them. The only thing to do is to en them with the mining operation."

"And of Thom and Heloiza? I can only bring one other person with me in a portal. Triss is the same. We must keep the griffin."

"Kill one of them."

Philippa hesitated, "I know that I'm indebted to you for the regeneration of my eyes, but –"

He looked at her sharply, and she fell silent. "Philippa, I understand that you dislike taking orders. But do not attempt to exert your independence now. I've given you your sight, and I can take it away again. You did not regrow them yourself, you do not have the power to do so. Do what I ask, so I don't have to forcibly remind you what I can do. Do you understand?" With that, he ended the megascope projection.

He sat down at his desk, looking at the ancient texts. They had given him the knowledge to access incredible power. He lifted one scroll off of the desk and set it aside. A drawing of Yennefer was revealed. He studied her face closely. His hands found their familiar distraction. He rapped his fingers on a hollow skull, covered in runes.

* * *

Philippa stared where the megascope projection had been. She turned slowly and left the room. She entered the sitting area where Triss, Thom, and Heloiza sat together, drinking wine. Triss noticed Philippa's strange expression when she entered the room.

"Is everything okay?"

Philippa looked at her, "Of course, Triss. Everything is fine." She walked to a table and poured herself wine. She took a long drink from the chalice. "We need to move on away from this area. I need you to come with me Triss."

"I can't just leave Tancred. I'm his court mage." Triss began to protest.

"But first you are first a member of the Lodge. I don't want to argue, Triss. Just do it. Heloiza, I want to be alone with you. I trust you can entertain yourself, Triss. Thom I need you in the cave. As we discussed."

Heloiza smiled sweetly, and winked at Triss as she got up to follow Philippa from the room. They entered the private quarters, and Philippa smiled at Heloiza without teeth. Heloiza rushed to Philippa and embraced her. "I've been thinking of you all day. I want to be with you so badly." She said as she traced her lips from the base of Philippa's neck to her mouth. They kissed, and Heloiza began unfastening Philippa's blouse. She touched her breasts with her mouth, and moaned softly as Philippa slid a hand under her dress. They disrobed, and found themselves on the bed, kissing and touching every part of one another's body. After they had both reached ecstasy, they laid on the bed together in an embrace. Heloiza kissed Philippa's shoulder and then laid quietly with a content smile on her face. Philippa leaned down and kissed her passionately. Heloiza was distracted as Philippa quietly retrieved a steel sword from the table near the bed. This steel sword was linked with another scabbard holding a silver sword. Philippa broke the kiss, rose from the bed, and slid the sword over Heloiza's throat. Heloiza gurgled and grasped at Philippa. Philippa stood just out of reach and watched the life leave her eyes. Philippa closed her eyes.

She dressed herself, and returned to the sitting area. Thom had returned with the griffin. "Right then. Let's go. We're going to the bathhouse in Novigrad, formerly Dijkstra's bathhouse. He has no use of it now. Triss, you can open a portal for you and Thom. I'll be right behind you with the griffin."

Triss nodded, noticing some blood on Philippa's hand. She thought to herself _what have you gotten yourself into Phil_. Triss and Thom left.

Philippa led the griffin to the cave's entrance. She recited a spell, and shot fire balls from her hands into the cave. They flew through the cave's tunnels until they found the charges that Thom had set up earlier. The enchanted miners did not even notice the balls of fire flying behind them, igniting the charges. They didn't even scream when the charges exploded, melting flesh from bone. There was no sound except the sound of fire. Philippa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened a portal and left.

* * *

Geralt looked through the woods, and adjusted the borrowed sword on his back. Smoke billowed over the treetops. "My swords," he muttered quietly. Yennefer had stayed back to gather her strength. She had used a great deal of power to retrieve him, and was slow to recover. Plus, he preferred being alone. He could move faster and quieter by himself. A fact he had forgotten before being ambushed with Triss. He ran silently through the woods, dodging twigs and snow mounds that would crunch under his step. He ducked to avoid hitting branches. He reached the mouth of the cave, thick black smoke poured from the opening. He smelled burnt flesh. He took out a vial of Killer Whale, removed the cork stopper and drank the contents. He took a big gasp of fresh air, and entered the cave.

He couldn't see through the black smoke, so he stayed against a wall. Yen had told him the cave wound around, with many different corridors, so he was prepared. He took a right. Another right. He found where he was held the previous night. The room was not yet engulfed in flames, but it was filled with smoke. He turned back and went down another hall. He found a small sitting area with much less smoke. He took the opportunity to grab a few breaths. He followed the tunnel back, and stumbled upon a bedroom.

Inside of the bedroom, Geralt noticed a naked body, covered in blood, on the bed. He approached. Strong features. This must have been Heloiza. He closed Heloiza's eyes, and noticed his sword, covered in blood lying next to her body. He made a face, picked up the sword and wiped the sword off on the bed. He returned it to its scabbard, and slung both swords over his back. Another deep breath, and he navigated his way back outside. It was time to return to Tancred.

* * *

Yennefer heaved over a bucket. She had overestimated her strength. She had used more energy than she had taken in, and she now paid the price for that error. She wiped her mouth, and crawled back to the bed. Feeling depleted of power was much like a hangover after a night of imbibing. She had tried to join Geralt, but had collapsed just outside of their chamber doors. He had to carry her back to the bed. She took the opportunity to sleep off her predicament.

* * *

Geralt entered the castle, and walked up the stairs slowly, stoically. He carried bad news for the king, and he was unsure how it would be received. The king's troubles had begun to take their toll, and he was losing patience quickly. Geralt reached the landing of the stairs and entered the chambers of the room he was sharing with Yennefer. She looked awful still. Sorcerers and sorceresses are very vain, so for a sorceress to look awful, they must feel truly terrible. She woke up, and groaned. He sat on the bed beside her. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," she lied. "You got your swords back. What happened?" She croaked.

"I have to speak with Tancred. The cave was on fire when I got there. The missing people are all dead. So it Heloiza. I'm not expecting Tancred to take the news well."

"So, we may have to leave," Yen said solemnly.

"Yes."

"I'll prepare to open a portal then," she said, sitting up slowly.

"No, you can't."

"Don't tell me what I can't do, Geralt," she snapped.

"Yennefer, you don't have the strength. If we leave, we will take a horse. I won't allow you to try to open a portal. You've done enough." He stood from the bed.

Yennefer looked angrily at him, and then looked away. She scowled, and refused to look at Geralt. He knew that she hated to admit that she was too weak to do something. She hated being unable to look after herself. If Yennefer valued anything, it was independence.

Geralt left the room, and approached the king's quarters. He knocked softly. Hendon opened the door for Geralt to enter. Tancred sat in a chair hunched over by the fire. He was not taking this situation very well. Hendon bowed and excused himself.

Geralt cleared his throat. Tancred turned to look at him. Geralt began recounting his exploration into the cave. The king sat quietly, but blanched and grew whiter and whiter as the story progressed. He gripped the arms of his chair, and his hands were completely white. When Geralt finished the tale, he stood in silence, waiting for Tancred's response. Tancred's face drooped and turned into a full grimace. "Hendon!" He shouted.

Hendon entered the quarters quickly, bowed, and stood at attention for his king's orders. "Yes, your majesty?"

Tancred looked at Hendon, "Get this miscreant, this charlatan, this swindler, this failure of a witcher out of my sight, out of my castle, out of my kingdom! Remove him forcefully! Get his whore of sorceress out too! I want them flogged if they don't leave tonight! If I see either of them again, I'll have their heads."

Hendon bowed, and gestured emphatically for Geralt to follow. They left the room, and heard Tancred throwing things in his room and roaring like an animal. "It's time for you to go. Now." Hendon spoke more calmly than Tancred.

Geralt nodded, and allowed himself to be escorted to the guest chambers. Hendon entered the room with him, to encourage them to leave. He stood in the doorway, and guards soon appeared as well. About a dozen guards stood at the ready. Geralt set the sword that he had borrowed on a chest, and strapped his own swords over his shoulder. Yennefer slowly pulled up stockings, and fastened her shoes. She stood slowly, and required Geralt's help to stand and walk. He threw their bag over his shoulder, and supported her with his other arm. They were escorted from the castle grounds. When they reached the gate, Hendon said, "Be gone by morning, or you'll regret it."

Yennefer had regained some strength, she turned around and hissed, "Don't make threats you can't keep."

Geralt pulled her away before she said anything else. They walked through the dirt streets. They villagers didn't yet know that their missing loved ones were burned in a cave. Geralt felt relief that they would be gone before the villagers found out. He led them to a stable at the gates of town. He approached the stable master. "We need a horse."

* * *

Philippa fondled the necklace she wore between her breasts while she peered at the vault door. Triss entered the room quietly and shut the door. "Hello Triss," Philippa said without turning around.

"I think we should talk, Phil."

"I suppose you're right. Let's chat," she said, turning to face Triss.

"Why do I have the feeling that I'm no longer at liberty to come and go as I please?"

"Because you're not, Triss. You're now a part of something very big, that you can't just leave. It's dangerous to even think about it. I can't leave. You can't either now."

"The other Lodge members are not a part of this plan, are they?"

"No. I haven't shared the details of this situation with them. Margarita is busy rebuilding Aretuza, Fringilla is with her cousin in Toussaint, and Francesca is refusing to leave her lands. I didn't want to involve them anyway. Or you."

"This isn't about ruling the North, then?"

"Of course not. Do you think I'd try something twice? It was a convenient lie."

"What is this Philippa?"

Philippa sighed, "I wish I could tell you, but I cannot."

Triss stayed quiet, racking her brain for answers. "What happened with Heloiza?"

Philippa looked down, and held her pale blue eyes shut.

Triss nodded. "I see. So you're not in charge here."

Philippa didn't say anything. She just looked up at Triss.

"Well we need to make a plan to get out of this."

"I can't, Triss. I'm in this. For good. It's a debt that I can never repay."

"Your eyes? You didn't do that yourself?"

"No."

"Who then?"

Philippa's resolve broke, and she whispered, "Istredd."


	7. Chapter 7

Istredd exited his house in the ancient elven town of Aedd Gynvael. He looked to the sky. A sunny day. He made his way down the cobblestone street to the mayor's house. Since the success of his excavation made the town heaps of gold, Herbolth owed him dearly. Istredd was always collected on his debts. He stepped over a puddle of sewage, and entered the mayor's home.

Herbolth sat at a table that was dwarfed in comparison to his rotund figure. He was eating, in front of him a platter of roasted Cornish hens. He cleared his throat and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. "Istredd. What do I owe the pleasure?"

Istredd smiled politely despite his revulsion. "Mayor Herbolth. I've come to discuss the space you promised me for my research."

"Ah, yes. Cicada is clearing the squatters from the premises momentarily."

"As it turns out, I will need more space."

"Err. If we evict any more residents, there is likely to be a revolt."

Istredd smiled again with pursed lips. "I would like to remind you, Herbolth, that my research has made this town, and more specifically you, a significant amount of gold. I told you that in exchange for this wealth, you would need to grant my requests. This is one of those requests. If I do not have your complete cooperation, there would be no more gold."

Herbolth frowned. "Yes, yes. Very well. How much more space will you need?"

"Three more shacks along the coast. I will need them to be cleared as well. Give each resident five crowns for their trouble."

Herbolth's mouth fell open. "Each resident?"

"Yes. Each. We're taking their homes, Herbolth. We're not monsters."

Herbolth stayed silent, but nodded.

"And Herbolth?"

"Yes?"

"There will likely be some sounds over the course of the next few days. Precious materials will be transported here. I would like you to make sure that no one approaches the coast where I will be working. It's very important."

"Of course."

* * *

Triss couldn't believe her ears. "Istredd? Yennefer's…?" she trailed off.

Philippa nodded. "Yes, that Istredd."

Triss stared in disbelief at Philippa, before finally whispering, "Why?" Philippa turned and walked to the decanter at the table. She poured herself a large glass, and put the crystal to her lips. She was quiet. Triss pressed, growing angry, "What is this about, Philippa?"

Philippa, having drained her chalice, closed her eyes and sighed, "Where to begin."

Some time passed as Philippa spoke and Triss listened, barely controlling the rising anger she felt in her chest.

"So then," Triss finally spoke, "this is all just a grand gesture for Yenna?"

Philippa laughed sadly, "Yes, I suppose it is. He wants power and prestige to win her back. He doesn't care who is ruined in the process. He threatens my sight if I question his plans. Do you have any idea what it's like to have your eyes gouged out, Triss? It's horrid. I wouldn't wish it upon the lowest miscreant."

Triss crossed her arms, "Well we have to figure out a way to get you out of this."

Philippa smiled sadly, "But how?"

"We need to tell Yennefer. We need the Lodge."

Philippa grimaced, "Yennefer was never truly part of the Lodge."

"Phil, we need her."

"Fine, Triss. We need her. But he can't know that we've contacted them. You don't understand how powerful he's become. Istredd has created a magical system that monitors all megascope communication."

"He's what? He's spying on all of the mages? Why?"

"It's how he's been watching Yennefer. He's viewed every megascope conversation that mentions her or anyone close to her."

"Very well. I'll teleport."

* * *

He patted her on the side of the neck, and whispered "Not bad, Roach." The horse traversed the rocky mountain pass carefully and slowly. Geralt stayed alert, but he could feel Yennefer falling asleep as her arms around his waist loosened. "Yen?"

She jerked awake. "What?"

"Almost there."

She straightened up in the saddle behind him, and repositioned her arms. "Where are we?"

"We're nearly to Hengfors. Capital of Caingorn. Remember our time hunting dragons with King Niedamir?"

"I do." She squeezed him gently, moving her hands to his chest and placing her head against his back.

He smelled lilac and gooseberries and smiled slightly, "We'll need a roof over our heads soon."

"Since we were removed so unceremoniously from the last," Yennefer finished and then spat. "Unbelievable. I've never seen such bloody rudeness, such ingratitude. We will never return there! The whole lot of them can be taken by griffins!"

"Yen," Geralt said calmly, when he could feel her grip on him tighten from anger.

"Sorry – am I hurting you?"

"No."

"Let's hurry to an inn, darling. We've been on this horse since last night. We all need rest, and my haunches are killing me!" Yennefer groaned rubbing her backside with one hand.

Geralt chuckled, "You're not used to life on the path."

"No, I'm –," Yen was interrupted by a rustling in the woods to their right.

An elf appeared, brandishing a bow and arrow pointed directly at Geralt. His face was painted, and he wore traditional elven garb. A second appeared, also with a bow and arrow. Another, and another stepped from the brush to block the road in front of them. Five elves total emerged from the brush, all pointing their weapons at Geralt and Yennefer. The last elf to emerge, a female, was clearly the leader of this small pack of Scoia'tael. Geralt pulled on the reigns of the horse slightly to bring their travel to a halt.

The leader picked her teeth with a small dagger. She spit on the ground and returned her dagger to its sheath on a necklace around her neck. She turned her head from side to side to crack her neck, and then looked directly at Geralt. "Where are you heading, dh'oine?"

Geralt spoke first, "Hengfors."

Yennefer sighed heavily, "Get out of the bloody way. What do you think this is? You can't hold up travelers like common bandits."

"I think that bitch needs to be taught a lesson. Shall I Folie?" said the elf behind the leader. He was very muscular for an elf, but short. Geralt glared at the elf in response.

Folie, the leader elf smiled, "No." She paused, "Not yet. Look how he bristles when you insult the lady. I'd like to see that again."

Geralt bear his teeth, "Enough of this. Why have you stopped us?"

Folie frowned slightly, "You're no fun, vatt'ghern." She turned around and placed a hand on the short elf's shoulder. "Tirth, tell them what we want."

He smiled nastily, "Give us everything you've got or we'll put an arrow between your eyes before you can move."

Geralt tightened the strap on his chest, "Not gonna happen." He replied dismounting from the horse. "Turn around and go back into the woods."

Folie stepped forward and the elves steadied their bows, "Do you think we're bluffing?"

"Do you think I am?" Geralt said, reaching for his sword. Folie gave the order to shoot. All four of the other elves unleashed their arrows. Yennefer impulsively created a magical shield, but she was still not strong enough, so it could not reach the witcher. It didn't need to.

Geralt pirouetted and deflected each arrow with quick reflexes, so quick that the elves did not see him move his sword. He stood still after the first barrage of arrows was deflected. "Go back into the woods."

"No!" shouted Folie as she lunged forward, drawing her dagger. Geralt lunged to the right instinctively, slashing to his left. Folie's attack missed, and she landed on two feet, before falling to the ground. A line of blood appeared at the base of her neck. Her head, partially detached, lay awkwardly away from her body. Tirth, seeing this gory scene roared, and lifted his bow to fire again. The other three elves quickly turned and dispersed back into the woods. Tirth fired an arrow which Geralt easily deflected.

"Go! Back!" Geralt shouted.

"No!" Tirth roared, and charged Geralt. At the last second, an arrow flew from the woods and caught Geralt by surprise. Yennefer quickly shot fire into the woods, connecting with the elves that had fled. She heard three screams and returned her focus to Geralt's fight. She couldn't involve herself without hurting him too. Geralt had successfully deflected the arrow, but could not regain his momentum in time for Tirth's attack. The short, but stout elf slammed into Geralt with full force, knocking him to the ground. Geralt gasped for air, as Tirth climbed on top of him to pin him down. Geralt luckily had not let go of his steel sword in the fall. He thrust the blade and stabbed at the short elf. The tip of the sword appeared behind Tirth. Blood from the elf's belly spilled onto Geralt. But Geralt winced. The elf hit his mark. He pushed the elf off, and removed a small dagger from of his side. He rolled over to his hands and knees. Blood poured out of the gash in his side.

"Damn," Geralt said, as Yennefer leapt from the horse and ran to him. He grasped his side with one hand and grunted, "My elixirs."

Yennefer returned to the horse, and removed a small wooden box from their bag. She removed the correct vial; she knew them all by heart now. She handed him the vial, and he gulped its contents. His eye dilated, and his breath grew short. The veins on his neck bulged from under the skin. But the blood stopped flowing, the wound had congealed. Yen knew this reaction all too well. He would have a burst of energy and then desperately need to sleep. She called the horse over, and helped Geralt up. He climbed onto the horse himself, but took the rear of the saddle. Yennefer grabbed the reigns.

She pulled his arms around her, so he leaned against her back. "I'm fine, Yen."

"For now. Don't argue, witcher. Let's get to Hengfors," she said, gesturing the horse forward. "Look at us," she said gently, "truly we're getting too old for this.'

* * *

Istredd sat alone in his study. He tapped his fingers on the rune-covered skull, while inspecting a black kestrel perched in the corner. He stood and approached the bird, and reached out to stroke it lovingly. The bird froze under his touch. "She'll return soon," he whispered.

He walked to the megascope and called for Philippa. She appeared, looking somewhat haggard. _Perhaps she had been in love. Perhaps what I've asked her to do is too difficult,_ he thought to himself. "Status update," he paused, feeling a bit guilty, "please."

Philippa reported, "the materials will be delivered to you via teleportation beginning tomorrow."

"Good. Please teleport Thom back immediately."

Philippa paused, "Certainly."

"How is Triss? Does she suspect anything?"

Philippa twitched her posture, "No, nothing strange. She would like to recruit the rest of the Lodge, and bring them here for, what she believes the goal to be."

Istredd scratched his chin and stared at Philippa. "Very well. It will keep with appearances. Is that all?"

"It is."

"Very well." He signaled to end the megascope projection. _The materials are arriving tomorrow. I must prepare_ he thought. He opened a drawer producing plans for a large coastal fortress made of the finest materials woven with magical resources.

* * *

Yennefer approached the counter at the inn, "How much for a room for the evening?"

"That'll be fifty coppers," said the inn keep, an older woman hunched over from years of hard work.

Yennefer smiled, and placed ten crowns in the woman's hand. The innkeeper looked at Yennefer with her mouth agape. "Mistress, this is too much."

"Keep it."

The woman shuffled from behind the counter, "follow me then please, mistress."

The room they entered was at the end of a hall off of the busy tavern room. The door was flimsy, and the bed was maybe half of the size of theirs at home. There was a small wooden chair in the corner. Yennefer smiled before the woman turned to leave. She grimaced after the innkeeper had left and muttered, "hopefully she uses that money to spruce this place up a bit." She returned to the tavern, where Geralt had entered. He was beginning to move slowly, she directed him to their room, and approached the counter once more. She asked for herb crusted lamb skewers and potatoes, two carafes of wine, and one of apple juice. The inn keeper gestured for a boy to fetch the requested items. "And also a tub please."

She returned to the room. Geralt was feeling the effects of the elixir on his body. He was laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Do you feel alright?" she asked, approaching him on the bed. She leaned over him so her face was above his.

"It'll pass."

"Let me see," she said, pulling his jerkin up. He lifted himself on the bed and raised his arms. She slid off his armor and jerkin. There was a knock at the door. "I ordered a bath." Geralt groaned. The boy that Yennefer had seen helping the innkeeper carried in a large tub.

"Do you need water, mistress?"

"Please." Yen replied, digging in the bag she and Geralt shared. The boy left and returned with two large buckets of water draped over his shoulders. He poured them carefully into the tub one at a time. When he was done, he bowed, and Yennefer handed him two crowns. She immediately began undressing the witcher, who had almost completely lost consciousness. She leaned over him to check his body for wounds. The cut had congealed, but was still very bloody. She found another gouge on his arm where an arrow had grazed, also congealed. She knew he would feel sick very soon, so she prodded him to get off the bed. She helped him to the tub, and held his hands while he lowered himself slowly. He sighed when the cold water surrounded his body. It helped. She washed him, scrubbing gently all over his body. She was especially careful around his new wounds. She helped him rise out of the tub and dry off. He hobbled over to the bed and collapsed.

Yen removed her traveling clothes, and began digging through the bag until she found what she was looking for. She retrieved a small leather bag, her makeup bag. She knew that Geralt loved to watch her. She sat at the chair, facing Geralt and removed a cork on a white cream, and the room filled with the scent of lilac and gooseberries. Geralt smiled at Yennefer before his eyelids grew too heavy to keep open.


	8. Chapter 8

Yennefer woke up with her head resting on Geralt's arm. Their legs were intertwined under the eiderdown. She blinked a few times before looking up at the witcher's face. He was sleeping soundly, his chest rising and falling slowly. She slowly sat up in the bed, and pulled the cover down to examine his wound. He didn't even stir from his sleep. She lightly touched his side around the healing skin. It had healed quickly since the night before, as a result partly of the witcher's mutations and also to the elixir that he consumed. Still, he would be left with another scar to add to his collection of impressive old wounds. She slipped from the bed, and placed the blanket back up to the witcher's chest, and he opened his eyes slightly. "Yen?"

"Shhh, witcher. Sleep," she said, leaning down to kiss him gently on the lips.

He opened his eyes, and looked at her. She stood before him wearing nothing but her well-draped white nightgown. He examined the way that the fabric clung to every curve of her body, and it thrilled him. He reached for her hand, and pulled her back onto the bed, hugging her with both arms around the waist. She laughed and leaned over and kissed him again lightly. "You were going to leave without waking me," he said, his face feigned sadness.

"I'm glad to see that you're feeling better, Geralt. You should not be so diplomatic in situations like that in the future," she said, looking directly into his eyes.

"If there is a chance that I might spare a life, you know I will always take it," he replied, not breaking her stare.

She sighed, "Geralt, you are one of the most noble men I've met."

He smiled slightly, feeling that he'd successfully justified himself.

"But it will one day get you killed, darling," she said, placing her delicate hand on his cheek. He noticed that sadness had crept into her violet gaze, and his smle faded slightly.

"It's not so easy to kill me, Yen," he offered, gesturing to the scabbed, healing wound, nestled in a collection of scars.

Her lips trembled ever so slightly. She said nothing but simply walked to the small table and chair next to the bed, sitting down and opening her leather make up bag.

He tried to smooth things over, "Yen, you know – "

"I need to contact Margarita," she interrupted, changing the subject.

He frowned slightly, "why?"

She was silent for a moment, before saying, "to discern if she's privy to Philippa's plans. You should get up and walk around. It will be good for the healing process. I saw a market on our way into town. Why don't you go and find us something to eat," she didn't even look up from mirror as she spoke. Geralt pursed his lips slightly and nodded.

He got up from the bed, and pulled on his pants, stained with blood on the side he was stabbed. He pulled on his jerkin, and buckled the leather belt that held his sheathed swords loosely, the way he wore the scabbards when not in a fight. He stood behind Yennefer, who was applying kohl to her eye lids in a thin line. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he leaned down and kissed her on the top of the head. He lingered, inhaling the smell of lilac and gooseberries. She touched his left hand with hers, and he looked at her in the mirror. "I love you, Yen," he said, sincerely.

She smiled at him, looking up over her shoulder to his face.

He sighed, and left their room at the inn, intent on finding provisions that would last on the path.

* * *

Istredd raced across the room to his megascope. His eavesdropping had finally paid off. He could see her, hear her. She spoke quickly to Margarita, expressing her concern. Margarita, already joined with her Lodge sisters, reassuringly let her in on the plans he had fed to Philippa. He smiled and reached his hand out to touch the hologram of her face, and focused on where her magical energy was emanating. He sighed and laughed to himself, "Hengfors. She's so close." His smile abruptly disappeared as he heard her mention to Margarita that she was with Geralt. He grimaced at the sound of Geralt's name.

* * *

Triss watched as Margarita concluded her conversation with Yennefer. She and Philippa sat quietly out of view. When the image of Yennefer had disappeared, Margarita turned to the other sorceresses. Triss rubbed her forehead with one hand.

Philippa broke the silence, "he was certainly listening."

Margarita sighed, and nodded.

Triss closed her eyes and sighed, knowing that Istredd could trace Yennefer's location. She wished that she could warn her friend.

"What do we do now?" Margarita asked, facing away from Triss and Philippa.

Philippa stood, "we must continue as if nothing is wrong. Remember, you two should know nothing about what is actually going on. We cannot act until we can anticipate Istredd's moves, or we will expose our knowledge and lose the upper hand. Yennefer and Geralt will undoubtedly encounter him sooner than later. We must wait to see what happens."

Triss furrowed her brows, and looked at Philippa with an open mouth.

Philippa clenched her jaw as she returned Triss's stare, "Our concern lies only in assuring the Lodge's future. Yennefer is not a part of the Lodge, nor Geralt. Do you understand?"

Triss shook her head in disbelief, before finally whispering, "yes."

Margarita, still facing away, nodded her head.

* * *

Yennefer had grown impatient for Geralt's return, so she decided to find him. She wandered through Hengfors toward the market. She lazily strolled through, examining different trinkets at the stalls, glancing up to look for Geralt infrequently. She saw him ahead of her, but stopped to admire a silver ring with row of precious stones. The vendor smiled at her with white teeth, looking over his small wire-framed glasses, "Greetings, my lady. Does that interest you? Would you like me to reserve it for your gentleman? A true gentleman should always buy his lady precious gifts."

Yennefer smiled without her teeth, "I can afford to purchase the things I desire on my own, good sir." The vender nodded curtly. She looked up and could no longer see Geralt.

She glanced back at the vendor before walking ahead to find him. She turned a corner, and stopped with a gasp. "Ha…Hal?"

Istredd stood before her, smiling slightly, knowingly, not surprised at all. "Yenna." He held his arms out to embrace her.

Still shocked, she went to him, hugged him stiffly, and pulled away. "Why are you here, in Hengfors?"

He stepped towards her, brushing a black curl out of her face, "would you believe me if I told you I came for you?"

She stepped back. His hand fell back to his side. She examined his face, noticing subtle changes. His smile was the same from the Istredd she knew, but his eyes hid something. She dared not search his thoughts, knowing that he could sense and manipulate her.

She finally spoke, "I'm surprised."

"Why, Yenna?"

"I thought… After how things ended in Aedd Gynvael…"

"I told you that I would wait for you, that I would find you."

"It's been over ten years…"

"I've been busy, creating the life that you've always wanted. I've been building a castle for you to rule, as a queen."

Yennefer sighed, still looking incredulous.

He stepped toward her again, "I want you to come home, and be with me."

Yennefer started to shake her head.

"I found a cure… for your…" he said, reaching for her hands.

He held her hands as she searched his face, never once changing her expression. She pulled her hands away from his, and stepped back again. "Hal… Istredd. Much has changed since the last time we've seen each other."

His smile faded slightly.

She sighed, "I… I cannot come back with you."

His upper lip twitched.

"I… Geralt and I – "

At the mention of his name, Istredd's eyes flared, and his rapidly fading smile turned into a grimace, "you would choose that mutant over me? After all of the times he's hurt you?"

She said nothing.

"I offer you power, stability, wealth, a home again, and now even a cure for your barrenness, and you spit in my face by mentioning his name, as if he were on the same level as I."

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"I try again, and again, and still that mutant gets himself in my way."

At the sound of him referring to Geralt as a mutant, her eyes blazed, and her hands twitched, radiating blue sparks instinctively. "I warn you Istredd."

He was unfazed by her show of aggression. He waved his hand, dismissing her, "You are ungrateful, Yennefer of Vengerberg." He stepped towards her, "You are a brat, and I will not allow you and that mutant to humiliate me again." He reached for her.

She raised her hands, "Do not!"

She hesitated too long, perhaps she was truly slower than him, perhaps she hesitated because she was unsure if he were truly serious, perhaps it was because she still cared for him, or simply remembered caring for him. No matter the reason for her hesitation, it only mattered that she did indeed hesitate. His magic hit her first, leaving her blue sparks to fizzle up into the air before disappearing. He grabbed her limp body.

* * *

Geralt turned the corner hearing a commotion. He turned just to see a woman with black curly hair lifelessly fall into the arms of a man. A woman gasped, a child cried, a man shouted, and other people approached the scene, curious about the sounds. It all processed at the same time for Geralt.

"No!" Geralt shouted, leaping towards the man, drawing his sword so fast that it seemed to just appear in his hand. Geralt controlled his trembling hand as he slashed at the man he recognized as Istredd. Istredd laughed furiously, dodged the attack easily, and threw Yennefer into Geralt's sword. The blade pierced her stomach, and she let out a cry just as Geralt cried. The point of the blade emerged from her back, and she was chest-to-chest with the witcher. She looked up at him with eyes full of fear and a trembling chin, as she breathed sharply. Geralt removed his sword from her body, and caught her before she fell to the ground. He held her in a tight embrace, attempting to cover her wounds with his body and hands. Their cheeks touched. Her breathing was labored.

"Geralt," she whispered in his ear.

He held her close. "Yennefer," he finally, responded in a quiet, unusual voice. A moment passed, but it felt like an eternity.

"Look what you've done!" Istredd spat. "You've killed her!" He shot sparks at Geralt, throwing the witcher, still holding Yennefer backwards.

The witcher shielded their fall, before gently placing Yennefer on the ground, as comfortable as she could be. He brushed a stray black curl from her face, before jumping to his feet, drawing his sword again. "You coward," Geralt growled, before lunging at the sorcerer with his sword in his hand.

Geralt's grief made him sloppy. He moved too slowly. Istredd again dodged his attacks. He twirled again, as Geralt's sword grazed the sleeve of his shirt.

"Enough is enough," Istredd shouted. He stunned Geralt, and caught the falling witcher in one arm, opening a portal with his free hand. Geralt strained against the paralysis, the veins in his neck bulging.

"I said enough witcher. It was a simple matter really. If I can't have her, no one will," Istredd spoke with an eerie calm.

Geralt growled this clenched teeth, "You will suffer Istredd."

"Shh enough, enough. Don't make me repeat myself again," Istredd responded, with a nasty smile. "You're not in a position to threaten now, witcher. If anyone is to do the suffering, it will be you. You stole my Yenna away, brainwashed her, tricked her into thinking she was better with you. You'll see soon that you were wrong. First, I want you to watch her expire."

Yennefer lay still on the ground, attempting to block the blood pouring from a wound on her stomach with her hands. Her violet eyes began to dull. A tear ran down over her face and dripped into the pool of blood. Geralt, helpless, just watched her, panting furiously.

Istredd pulled him through the portal.


	9. Chapter 9

Istredd threw Geralt's paralyzed body into a guest room on the top level of his house. He magically sealed the door. He knew the paralysis spell that he had hit Geralt with would soon wear off, and didn't have the energy to fight the witcher after what had passed.

He stomped down the stairs to his study where he collapsed on a chair. He looked across the room at a painting he had often looked upon. A painting of Yennefer wearing a black crushed velvet dress with white laced details, and a plunging neckline. It reminded him of happier times. Istredd sighed, and covered his face with trembling hands. He looked back to the painting of Yennefer as a tear spilled over onto his cheek.

* * *

Yennefer lay on the cold stone road, surrounded by people, elves, and dwarves. Gawking. She lay bleeding, and no one had come to her aid. She felt anger, and coldness from her blood loss. She struggled to her knees, with one hand on the ground, the other clutching her stomach. The wound on her back was smaller, the sword hadn't gone through completely. Geralt had realized what was happening before it was complete. She remembered the sound of his voice, inhuman, when he last said her name. It pained her. She looked around. Women were shielding children's eyes and gasping, the men stood stoic. She grimaced at them, just before she collapsed back onto the ground, into a pool of her own blood.

Her vision had blurred, her hearing echoed, but she still had some feeling. She felt someone grab her by her ankles, and another under her armpits, and lift her into the air. Someone wrapped something tightly around her midsection. She looked to see the person who had come to her aid, and saw nothing but fiery red hair. Then she fainted.

* * *

Geralt began to get the feeling back in his hands first. He slowly raised his stiff arms and placed his hands on the back of his head. He looked down at the floor. He felt heavy. A strange heaviness that he felt when He had felt it after Vesemir was killed at Kaer Morhen. "Yennefer," he whispered to himself. "Yennefer!" he then shouted. He felt a fury rising in his grief. He jumped to his feet, and tried to exit the room. Realizing Istredd had sealed him in the room, he began pounding on the wooden door, "face me, you coward! Face me and fight, you bloody son of a whore!" He heard a shuffling of footsteps beyond the door.

Istredd threw open the magically sealed door. He waved his hand, and Geralt felt the force of one thousand winds pushing him back to the corner of the room. Istredd remained in the doorway, "You took her from me, you rogue!" Istredd moaned. "You made me hurt her!" He rushed across the room, charging Geralt as he repeated, "you made me. You made me." With great momentum, he struck Geralt in the jaw with his elbow.

Geralt stepped forward to meet Istredd, but Istredd waved a hand and in flew metal chains and clasps. The clasps circled Geralt's ankles and wrists, and flung his body against the wall as if he were a child's doll. The chains anchored to the floor and ceiling held him in place. After regaining his composure, Geralt glared at Istredd, who glared back. He spoke slowly at a low volume, through clenched teeth, "I will be the last thing you ever see, Istredd. I will end you, no matter how long it takes. Count on it. You may keep me in this room as long as you like, but you only prolong your inevitability. I will accomplish my task." He enunciated his last words carefully, threateningly.

Istredd's eyes widened wildly as he approached Geralt. Geralt could feel his hot breath, smelling of wine. "No, you mutant. You are not allowed to feign grief. You are responsible. You were foolish enough to believe yourself my equal; foolish enough to fancy yourself a human with human emotions. You tricked Yenna into believing it too." He threw his head backwards and laughed softly, "To think that you had the same rights and claims to her as I. No, mutant… you will die here."

Istredd raised his hand outstretched hand and suddenly clasped it into a fist. Geralt could not breathe. He did not give Istredd the pleasure of making him gasp for air. Instead, he focused and slowed his heart beat and his body's demand for oxygen. But he could not stop the blood from rushing to his head. Istredd held his fist in the air until Geralt's face was flushed with blood cells struggling for oxygen, and then he finally released the witcher. Geralt gasped for air, never breaking his eye contact with the sorcerer. Geralt wanted Istredd to know the contempt that he felt for him.

Istredd smiled nastily at Geralt, "Yes, you will die here. But not today." He turned on his heel and walked out of the room.

* * *

Philippa answered the megascope call. Istredd looked ragged. He was furious, she could tell, but chose not to engage. She waited patiently for him to speak first.

"Nothing to say, Philippa?"

She smiled politely, "You were the one who contacted me. I eagerly await your orders." She was purposefully sarcastic.

Istredd narrowed his eyes at the sorceress on the other end. "My orders," he repeated. "My orders are that you shall kill everyone. My plans have been ruined. Yennefer is dead."

Philippa's eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly, before she regained her composure, feigning indifference.

"Will you not ask what happened?" he shouted.

"There is no love lost between Yennefer and I."

"Ask me anyway," he repeated, threateningly.

Philippa obliged, "Fine, then. What happened?"

"I went to speak with her. She was so close, Hengfors. That bloody witcher, he… he had her under a spell. She wouldn't come with me… I lost my temper."

Philippa blinked slowly, "So, you…"

"Not bloody me! Geralt! That fucking whore son! He plunged his blade right into her belly. Clean through! I will kill him! After I've had enough torturing the bastard."

Philippa cocked her head, "You mean to say that you have the witcher?"

"I do. I'll kill him. You, Philippa, your orders now are to wipe the memories of everyone involved. I've no more plans. They've all gone to shit. Just one now, for the mutant, and anyone like him."

Philippa smiled with closed, pursed lips, "Very well."

After the image of Istredd had disappeared, Philippa entered the room adjacent to where she had just been.

Fringilla Vigo and Keira Metz had since arrived. Keira came in tow with her new beau, Lambert. She stood, face flushed, with her hands on her hips. "Well? We aren't going to let that happen, now are we?" Lambert brooded by the window, facing away from the sorceresses, with obviously tense shoulders. Triss sat in the corner, eyes closed. Fringilla Vigo, attempting to maintain her composure, stood with her arms crossed, facing slightly away from Philippa. Margarita was the only sorcerer facing Philippa, paying complete attention. "No, my sisters, we won't."

Lambert turned around to face them, his face serious, menacing. "I'll find Eskel." He left, and no one said a word, not even Keira.

Margarita spoke up, "We should contact Francesca and Ida."

Philippa replied, "I already have. They are still unwilling to lend their aid."

"There is another matter that we need to discuss," Triss chimed in. "We must recover Yennefer's body. We knew her. Some of us loved her, so we cannot leave her in Hengfors to rot."

Fringilla responded, "If for no other reason than because the body of a sorceress should not be left for examination from some common undertaker. We all deserve more dignity."

Philippa looked at Triss, and then to Fringilla, before nodding in agreement. "Then let's set off to Hengfors right away."

* * *

The sorceresses walked together, resembling a pack of wolves. They prowled the street, searching for clues as to where Yennefer may be. A villager had told them of a scuffle in the market earlier in the day, when a black haired woman was stabbed and lay bleeding.

They turned the corner, entering the market. Two men stood near a well. They were drunk. They staggered over to the group of women.

"Hey, look here," stammered a fat man with thinning hair.

A thin man appeared from behind the fat one, "How 'bout that. What are you lovely ladies out tonight for, eh?"

Philippa shot a look towards the men that made them take a step back. "Gentlemen, please get out of our way. I'd hate for something bad to befall you."

The fat man laughed, "We've got a live one, Gerd."

The thin man nodded and smiled nastily. He pulled a knife from his belt. "See here, ladies, this is how it'll go. We'll be taking them precious stones off your necks, and any other valuables you got on you."

Fringilla snorted.

Philippa smiled at the man, "I'll give you till the count of three."

"Ooh, bitch thinks she can scare us," the thin man elbowed the fat man, who had produced a club, and was eyeing Margarita's plunging neckline while licking his lips.

"One."

"Just who do you think you are, bitch?"

"Two. Stop calling me that."

"What? Bitch. Come here then, bitch," he said, while grabbing his crotch, "I'll teach you how to talk to your betters."

"Three." Philippa raised a contorted hand. The men flew into the air, out of sight. Triss strained her eyes to see and could not make out their bodies in the dark night sky. A distant screaming sound was coming closer and closer. The fat man appeared first, hurling towards the ground at an impressive speed. His screams continued right until he hit the ground in a sound that made Triss wince. The thin man followed, completely silent. His neck had broken on the way up, and he was dead before he hit the ground. Both men lay in wet piles that no longer resembled human bodies. Triss closed her eyes. Keira grunted in disgust. Fringilla and Margarita averted their gaze. Philippa spat on the ground. "Disgusting." She straightened the collar of her dress, "Now, sisters, let's continue our search. It might be faster to split up."

They split into different directions, examining the stalls of the market, looking closely around for any clues. Triss turned a corner, feeling on edge. She noticed a dark stain on the dirty road. Leaning down to get a better look, she recognized it as blood. A lot of blood. "Sisters!" The other sorceresses approached quickly. "Here. This is a blood stain. It must be Yenna's."

* * *

Yennefer's eyes opened clumsily. Her vision was still blurred, yet she could make out a small framed person with blazing red hair leaning over her. A woman or an elf, she thought. She tried to speak.

"Shh, Yennefer, do not exert yourself," the red haired shape said somewhat coldly, matter-of-factly in a feminine voice. Yennefer could feel her hands hovering just over her torso, a warm feeling was enveloping her. White linens flew around her body, wrapping her wounds. She realized she was levitating off of the table as the linens weaved around her body. _A sorceress_ , Yennefer thought.

"Yes, and a healer," the red head replied.

"Wh-who are you?" Yennefer muttered weakly, as her vision focused slowly. She concentrated on the face of the red haired woman… and recognized her, not from her own memories, but from Geralt's. He had never spoken of her, yet Yennefer had uncovered this deep, dark painful memory of Geralt's unintentionally. She had never mentioned it to him for fear of causing him harm, but she knew, and she recognized the woman standing over her. Yennefer sucked in air sharply, and whispered "Visenna?" just before everything went dark again.


	10. Chapter 10

The sorceresses followed a small trail of blood around the corner. The trail led to a small shack nestled between two larger apartment buildings. The shack had a small smoke stack with puffs of grey smoke rising. A warm red glow could be seen through the window. Though the house was otherwise unremarkable, Triss noticed that a large flower was painted on the doorway, a white lily. They approached the home quietly. Keira tiptoed to the side of the house to peer inside through the window. Philippa rolled her eyes at the caution, and muttered a spell. The door to the house flew open. Just as soon as they took their first steps towards the house, a small woman appeared in the doorway with fire red hair.

"Stop," she whispered furiously, holding both of her hands up. A soft, menacing red glow had enveloped her hands.

"A sorceress?" Philippa raised an eyebrow. "We mean you no harm."

"And what do you mean then?" Visenna narrowed her eyes.

Triss spoke up, "We are looking for our friend, Yennefer. We know she's here."

Visenna turned her head to Triss. Again, she narrowed her eyes at the sorceress.

Margarita chimed in, "Please. She's very dear to us, and we're worried."

Visenna pursed her lips, "You can come in. But you're not to disturb her."

They entered the small home, which was much larger on the inside. Magic, thought Triss.

Philippa looked around, spotting Yennefer lying still on a bed, wrapped in bandages. "A healer too, then?" she turned to Visenna stating it more than asking.

"And you are?" Visenna placed a tea pot on her wood-burning stove. Triss observed her movements. She was graceful, but she moved with a quick determination. Her small hands looked delicate but easily tended the fire.

"We are all also sorceresses," Fringilla began.

"We are the Lodge of Sorceresses." Philippa corrected.

"The Lodge? I've heard of you, of course. What good you've done for sorceresses everywhere, the trouble you've caused," Visenna made eye contact with Philippa.

"Perhaps, you'd be interested in discussing the good we could do? Together?" Philippa smiled through the insult, rather sincerely.

Triss stood in the doorway, staring at Yennefer's lifeless body. She could see through tightly wrapped bandages a glimmer of existence as Yennefer's ribs expanded with each labored breath. Though alive, Yennefer looked weak, fading, a shell of who she was. Geralt did not do this, he would not. Triss turned around and interrupted, "What's happened to her?"

All the sorceresses turned to face her. Visenna got up and took her whistling tea pot from her stove, and threw in some loose-leaf teas. "I put her in a sort of trance. She was very hurt when I brought her here. It's the only change that she has."

Triss spoke again, "Is she going to die?"

Visenna exhaled deeply, before turning to face Triss. Visenna was a full head shorter than any of the sorceresses. She looked young, but Triss could see fine lines beginning to appear on her forehead. Though her face remained the same, Triss also noticed a change in her eyes. "I don't believe so. Not now that you're all here."

* * *

Geralt found himself paralyzed once again. His body lay strapped to a table in the room he was held. Numerous chains and bonds held him in place. Istredd was hunched over a table, staring at an assortment of devices. Geralt looked up to the ceiling, closing his eyes, and breathing deeply. Again, Istredd would torture him. But no physical torture could torment him the way that his thoughts did. He could not stop thinking about Yennefer's eyes as she fell to the ground. Of the eerie silence from her.

He opened his eyes and Istredd stood over him. Geralt noticed deep, dark circles forming underneath his ever-watering eyes. He looked awful, but Geralt would not allow him to feel pity for his actions. With a rising fury from his stomach, he spat at Istredd, "Coward."

A blow landed hard on his temple, and another. An elbow on his neck. Geralt gasped for air, coughing.

"How dare you speak to me, mutant. I will yet teach you to heel," Istredd replied, while Geralt's eyes opened and adjusted to the blow that he'd been dealt.

Istredd opened Geralt's shirt, exposing his scarred body. He hesitated for a moment, before inserting a dagger into Geralt's stomach. The blade entered parallel to his body, separating skin from muscle. Geralt ground his teeth as Istredd moved the blade about. After a large portion of Geralt's skin had been separated from his body, he lay panting with eyes closed, focusing on the memory of her face.

"And you stay awake the whole time. I wonder what amount of pain causes a witcher to lose consciousness?" Istredd reflected. "Even your body is defiant, truly a freak."

* * *

Eskel set a heavy stone into the mortar he had just spread. He reached to grab the trowel and spread more mortar around the stone. He peered up into the sunlight before wiping his brow. He heard something, and looked around. Nothing. He put another heavy stone down on the wall.

"Patching Savolla's breach?"

Eskel turned around to see Lambert approach. "Lambert." He greeted his fellow witcher with a handshake. "What are you doing here?"

Lambert walked past Eskel and examined the wall. "Nice handiwork." He turned around to face his friend, "I came because I need your help."

"With?"

"I'm not sure yet. But the Lodge is regrouping, and I figured we'd get the whole gang back together," Lambert joked dryly, leaning against the wall. "Yen might be dead. Geralt, uh…" Lambert fell silent. Eskel watched him carefully. "Geralt's mixed up in this somehow," Lambert finally said.

Eskel bent over and picked up the bucket he was using to mix mortar. He headed for the keep. "Where are we heading?"

Lambert followed. "Hengfors."

* * *

Triss watched as Visenna cradled Yennefer's head in her hands. Yennefer's eyes were closed, but her mouth was slightly agape.

Visenna spoke softly, "Her memories will tell us what truly happened. We will experience what she experienced."

* * *

 _Yennefer walked through the doorway to find her father indisposed. He sat in a chair while a young elven woman sat on her knees in front of him. Upon seeing Yennefer, he jumped to his feet, kicked the girl away as he pulled his trousers up. He was a tall man, with jet black hair and a scruffy beard. His eyes were a brilliant blue color._

 _"What are you doing here? My daughter, you've grown pretty. Your back is-"_

 _"Straight. Hello father. I see you've not changed a bit."_

 _"Heh, what do you mean?"_

 _She gestured for the young girl to leave the apartment. The girl scrambled away, and Yennefer's father growled._

 _"Get back here, you-"_

 _"That's what I mean."_

 _He cleared his throat, "Well I paid for her."_

 _Yennefer stared at him until he shivered slightly._

 _"What do you want, child?"_

 _"Don't call me that. You know why I'm here."_

 _"Listen, I'm sorry, alright?"_

 _Yennefer stepped towards him. "Call me what you used to call me."_

 _"I don't know what you mean!"_

" _You do. Say it."_

 _Her father was visibly shaking now, as she stepped closer and closer. Yennefer looked down and saw a knife in her hands. Her wrists healed from her attempt at Aretuza. "Please," her father chirped._

 _"Say it," she stood over him, knife in hand._

 _"Hunchback bastard. Not my child," he cried._

 _"And what you would call mother as you beat her?"_

 _"A knife-eared whore… bad blood…"_

 _"Do you regret it?"_

 _"Aye."_

 _"How much do you regret it?" she asked calmly._

 _"I'd give anything to make it right, I swear."_

 _"Even your life?"_

 _He shook violently, and nodded. She handed him the knife. He held it in his hands before swinging at her. She dodged nimbly._

 _"I should have smothered you when you were born," he roared through tears._

 _"Too bad you didn't," she spoke firmly, before dodging another attack. During her father's second retreat, Yennefer produced another knife hidden in her belt, and plunged the blade into her father's throat. She pulled the knife away and watched him bring hands to his neck, trying to cover the gushing red blood in vain. He fell to his knees before falling to the ground in a puddle of his own blood and urine. Yennefer stood over him, and adjusted her blouse. She spat on him and kicked him once more for good measure before leaving. She found the young elf outside of the apartment, and gave her some money._

* * *

"Not the right memory," Visenna spoke. "Again."

* * *

 _Yennefer watched Geralt leave the tavern. He walked down the streets of Aedd Gynvael pursued by bandits. She could tell that he was aware. She followed silently in the shadows. When the men attacked Geralt, she rushed to help him, but saw the men freeze and flee from the witcher. She saw one whisper to him, and moved closer to hear. "…from your reigns."_

 _Yennefer realized what conversation had transpired, and froze in the street. She felt overwhelming guilt for what she had done to Geralt and Istredd, and realized that her only solution was solitude._

 _She returned to her room at the inn and gave both kestrels the same message._

* * *

Visenna raised her eye brows, "We are closer." She turned to Keira, "Tell your witcher to go to Aedd Gynvael. Geralt will be there." Keira nodded, and started to exit the room. "Wait." Keira turned to face Visenna again, "Tell them to hurry."

* * *

The witchers entered the keep, putting away the materials neatly before preparing their rations for the road. Eskel oiled and sharpened their swords, both steel and silver. Lambert brewed potions. A small sound chirped from Lambert's saddle bags.

Eskel looked up and cocked his head, "What's that?"

Lambert jogged to his bag and produced a small rounded device with an opening on the top shaped like a human mouth. "A xenovox."

"What?"

"Never mind," Lambert held the device to his ear and waited. Finally, a muffled feminine voice could be heard.

"Lambert?"

"I'm here, Keira."

"We've found out some information. You'll need to go to Aedd Gynvael. Geralt is being held there."

Lambert moved the xenovox away from his ear slightly to look at Eskel. Eskel nodded. "Understood."

"Lambert?"

"Yes?"

"Be careful."

* * *

Visenna again searched Yennefer's memories.

* * *

 _Yennefer walked slowly through the market. She was upset with Geralt about his nonchalant attitude in near-death situation, but wanted to find him to make amends. She turned the corner, and ran into someone she never thought she'd see again. "Ha…Hal?"_

" _Yenna."_

* * *

Triss watched Visenna stare at the wall. Her pupils had rolled to the back of her head, only exposing the whites of her eyes. The magic she used always made Triss uncomfortable. It was an old magic, that involved reading one's thoughts, but it was darker, forcing the person to relive the memories that you were after. It wasn't easy for either person, as the seeker would have to search their mind for the correct memories.

Visenna's face contorted suddenly, and she released Yennefer's head. She leaned on the table with her eyes closed. She didn't open them but spoke, "Istredd stabbed her, betrayed her."

Triss nodded knowingly.

"I needed to make sure that it wasn't him."

Again, Triss nodded.

"He… means something to you, yes?"

She looked at Visenna with wide eyes. She smiled back.

"I didn't read your thoughts." Visenna said quietly through her smile. "A mother just knows."

Triss opened her mouth, "You are his?"

"Yes," Visenna said, rising to her feet slowly. "And I am much older than I look."

Triss was speechless. There were so many questions she wanted to ask.

Visenna waved her hand, "We don't have time for that. Yennefer is dying, my spells are not stopping it," Visenna spoke slowly, seriously. "I understand that Geralt is special to you. I also understand that Yennefer and Geralt are… meant to be together. And she is your friend. So, I have a question to ask you."

Triss nodded her head slowly, "Okay?"

"Would you do whatever you could to save her?"

Triss squinted her eyes at Visenna, "But I thought you said – "

"Answer me."

"Of course."

"Sit down. We have a lot to discuss. There is a way. But I will need your help, and the help of your sorceress friends."

* * *

Philippa looked incredulously at Triss, then to Visenna. "Are you joking?"

"It's the only way," Visenna spoke with conviction. "And it's my choice."

Triss looked to the floor, avoiding Philippa's eyes.

"You must be mental!" Philippa yelled. "It's not even possible."

"It is possible. This spell just needs more than one sorceress. With all of you, it will surely work," Visenna spoke, walking over to Yennefer's body. Her breathing had grown more shallow. "She is going to die if we do nothing."

"So you want to sacrifice your own life to save her? You want us to help you engage in blood magic? For… her?" Fringilla spoke quietly, as she studied Yennefer's face. She paused, "Yes. I will help you."

Triss looked at Fringilla. She returned the stare with the same emotion in her eyes that Triss had felt.

Keira wrinkled her nose, "Very well. I will help as well."

Margarita nodded, "Anything to save Yenna."

Philippa sighed and shook her head, "Do what you will. But I will go to Aedd Gynvael. I have some unfinished business there."

* * *

Lambert and Eskel reached the front gates of Aedd Gynvael at sundown. As they led their horses to the stable, a band of guards approached. Leading the guards was a yellow haired lanky man. He approached with a smirk, "ho, ho, what have we here? Two, might I guess, witchers?"

Lambert spoke first, "Yeah, and you might be?"

"Your names please? What school do you hail from?" the yellow haired man ignored the question.

Again, Lambert spoke, while Eskel removed their saddlebags from the horses. "My name is Lambert, this is Eskel," he said gesturing. "And we're both from the School of the Wolf. Now why don't you tell us who you are, and why you're the welcome wagon."

"My name is Ivo Mirce, but people know me as Cicada. These here behind me are the guards of our lovely town. And we just like to make sure that the riff raff stays out of our home," he grinned nastily. "What business do you have in town today?"

"Trying to help rid your town of quite the nasty monster," Eskel spoke finally.

"What monster might that be?" Cicada turned to face Eskel.

"Hasn't revealed itself yet."

"And why's this monster need two witchers? That's uncommon, eh?" Cicada continued.

Lambert lost his patience, "It's not your concern, friend. Let us pass."

Cicada laughed, "Can't do that. I know who you're here for, and I can't rightly let you waltz in and cause trouble here. They pay me to keep the peace. Besides, I've been looking forward to a rematch with a witcher."

Lambert walked forward, slamming his shoulder into Cicada's. Cicada reached to his hip, and produced a full-length sword. He thrust the sword towards Lambert's back, but Lambert saw it coming. He leapt to the side, easily dodging the attack. Lambert gracefully hit back with his elbow, landing onto Cicada's temple. He crumpled to the ground. The guards stood frozen in their steps, afraid to move. Eskel stepped towards them, hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Sirs," one of the guardsmen stammered, "please, we don't want any trouble."

"Then you'll not have any," Eskel said walking past Cicada on the ground. Eskel handed Lambert his saddlebag and the witchers walked into town.

The sun had completely disappeared on the horizon by the time they made it to the town square. An old woman was mindlessly swaying back and forth by the well.

Lambert looked at Eskel and shrugged, "hey?" He approached the woman slowly. He waved his hand in front of her face, and she didn't move or blink. "Hello?" Lambert exaggerated. No response.

Eskel pointed across the road to another person, a young boy staring at a door. "Look at this," he said walking over, waving in the child's face.

Lambert put his hands on his hips and asked, "What the hell is going on here?"

"It's a spell, gentlemen," Philippa said appearing suddenly. She transformed from an owl to herself right before their eyes.

"Great," Lambert muttered.

"What are you doing here, Philippa?" Eskel asked.

"Witchers always asking stupid questions," Philippa said as she walked over to the child. She contorted her hands and muttered a small spell, and the child collapsed.

"Hey!" Lambert yelled, preparing to draw his sword.

"Relax," Philippa waved her hand at him. "I've broken the spell. He's asleep. When he wakes, he will be fine."

"You're here for Istredd then as well?" Eskel raised an eye brow.

"Precisely. I want him dead, and you want to rescue Geralt. It seems logical that we work together in this endeavor, yes?"

"I suppose so," Eskel said quietly.

She walked up to Lambert and patted him on the shoulder, "See, Lambert? You've nothing to fear from me."

He shrugged his shoulder to avoid her touch. "Release this woman from the spell too."

Philippa smiled at him and obliged. "Satisfied?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Keira isn't here. You won't find much satisfaction here, unless you satisfy yourself," she laughed.

Lambert and Eskel stayed silent, as they walked together through the town.

"Very well then. Follow me, witchers."

* * *

Visenna looked down at Yennefer. They had moved her to the floor, onto some blankets to make the spell easier to perform. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was short. She knelt and lifted the bandage that she had used to cover Yennefer's wound. The wound was too deep to heal by conventional means. Visenna closed her eyes, and contemplated for a moment. She tucked a small piece of rolled parchment into Yennefer's dress before she stood to face Triss.

"We should begin."

Triss nodded slightly and called for the other sorceresses to join them.

"Triss and Margarita here, on this side. Fringilla and Keira on that side. Do you remember the spell I showed you?"

They all confirmed.

"Good," Visenna inhaled deeply. She knelt next to Yennefer once again, and squeezed her hand tightly before lying down next to her. She held Yennefer's lifeless hand as the sorceresses began reciting the spell that she had told them.

They spoke in unison, _"Esseath evellienn aen bloede a'baeth aen marw._ " The flame of the candles flickered as they spoke. " _Esse elaine uniade aen minne an modron. Dearme. Va faill._ "

Visenna's mouth opened suddenly, and her body writhed on the floor. A sucking sound came from her open mouth, before her body fell limp to the ground.

The sorceresses repeated the spell over and over, as Visenna had instructed them.

* * *

Visenna wandered through dark hallways, opening door after door only to find herself in the same hallway each time.

"Hello?" she shouted into the dark silence. She saw a flickering light at the end of the dark hallway and ran towards it. She pushed open the door, and fell into a small room illuminated only by a small fireplace.

"Visenna?"

She turned to face the voice that knew her name. "Yennefer!" she shouted and rushed towards the sorceress, grabbing both of her hands.

"What are you doing here" Yennefer said, pulling her hands away, "in my mind."

"Your sorceress companions are here, the Lodge. They are saving you, right now."

Yennefer sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. Visenna saw the corners of her mouth curl in relief. Yennefer turned back to Visenna, "that doesn't answer my question."

Looking away, Visenna gestured for them to sit at a small table.

She sat across from Yennefer, and looked into her eyes. "I could not help you. It was fortuitous that your companions arrived when they did." She held her hands out to Yennefer.

Yennefer did not react. "I don't appreciate veiled words."

Visenna turned her hands, accepting the rejection. "You're angry with me. You know who I am. The things I've done… to him. You love him, I see that. And you want to protect him, I see that as well." She was quiet for a moment, and looked down at her hands. "Would it make you feel better to know that I feel tremendous regret?"

"Only slightly," Yennefer replied. "You should apologize to him, not me. That would make me feel better. Show him just how sorry you are for abandoning him, casting him aside as if he were trash."

Visenna smiled sadly. "I wish that I could have that chance. But alas, here we are, and I do not, will not be able to speak to him again."

Yennefer's eyes trained on Visenna with a strange expression, "What do you mean? Tell me, plainly please. I do not have the desire or energy to make assumptions."

Visenna sighed. "You will wake up, soon. I will not. Your companions are saving your life, healing you in a way that I alone could not. I'm exchanging my life for yours, Yennefer."

"What?" Yennefer's eyes flashed with shock. "That is not possible."

"It is possible, and it is happening. It's already too late to reverse the spell. I came here to speak with you before you wake, before I am gone," Visenna spoke slowly towards the end. She hesitated. "I wanted to ask you a small favor, to relay what I say to you here, right now, to Geralt. I cannot leave this place with the knowledge that I have caused so much pain to my only child, and that I cannot reach out to him."

"So you sacrifice yourself for me so that I owe you and must help you?"

"No, I know that you dislike me, and you do not owe me anything. I hope that, mother-to-mother, that you understand what I am going through."

Yennefer narrowed her eyes, questioningly, "How do you know about Ciri?"

"When I healed Geralt years ago, he already had a connection with the girl. A mother knows her own child, does she not, even if they are not bound by blood. I know you struggled for many years, trying to reverse the changes that your body underwent when you became a sorceress. Most cannot conceive after accepting magic."

"How did you?"

"It was a fluke. I assumed that I was the same as everyone else in that regard, but I met a warrior, and I was with child shortly after. I didn't know what to do, though I knew that I couldn't raise a child. I left him to become a witcher. Selfishly, I wanted him to be special like those of us touched by magic. He could not stay with me and become a sorcerer, so I chose the life of a witcher for him. I knew that if he passed the training, he would be strong and special, even among all witchers. And I was right. I didn't know what happened to him until I healed him all those years ago. After that, I heard stories and tunes of the White Wolf and his raven-haired sorceress lover, of his child of destiny, of his adventures and feats. I am proud of him, and you, and Ciri. His comrade witchers are retrieving him as we speak. All I ask is that when you see him next, because you will see him Yennefer, that you please tell him that I truly regret hurting him, but… if I had the choice to do it all again, I would. Because the path of his life led him to you, to Ciri, to a destiny greater and more noble than any life he could have shared with me."

Yennefer sat quietly, completely dumbfounded, starring across the table at this woman whom she had hated on Geralt's behalf. She listened as Visenna explained her point of view, paying attention to how she spoke of Geralt and Ciri, even herself. She seemed warm; she seemed regretful; she seemed motherly; she clearly knew that she would not be around much longer. Yennefer reached across the table, and held her hands.

Visenna smiled at her.

"I will tell him, when I see him, what you've told me. I promise."

"Good. Thank you, my dear… daughter. Our time is running short now. Come, please, let me embrace you. Indulge a dying woman."

They hugged, as Visenna stroked Yennefer's hair lovingly, like a mother to a daughter. Yennefer's jaw clenched as a tear spilled onto her cheek. She tried to wipe it away before Visenna could see, but she did see. Visenna cradled her face, and kissed her forehead.

And then Yennefer woke up.

* * *

Lambert tiptoed around the back of the mansion, finding an open window. He peered inside focusing his cat-like eyes to see clearer in the dark, and whispered to Eskel, "An office." He carefully opened the window with one hand on the hinge to keep it from creaking. Lambert went in first, climbing through the opening adeptly, and crouching down in the office when his feet hit the floor softly.

Eskel followed him, just as adeptly, landing even more softly.

"Where is Philippa?" Lambert whispered barely audibly.

Eskel shrugged in response, and jerked his head gesturing forward.

They crept through the office, passing the broken bones of a skull. Upon reaching the door, Lambert held his ear to the wood to listen for sounds in the house. Nothing. He turned the knob carefully, and pushed the door open.

Just as they stepped into the hallway, the floorboards creaked. They turned to see where the sound was coming from, and a ball of light hit Lambert and blinded his eyes which were still widened to see in the dark.

He held his hands to his eyes to cover them, as another bright force hit him throwing him backwards. He hit a wall, breaking the wooden paneling on the wall, and fell the floor. He opened his eyes and looked around for Eskel. The other witcher was holding a Quen shield around his body, deflecting the shots that came at them.

Lambert held his fingers in the shape of Quen to mimic Eskel. But he was not fast enough, the third ball of light hit him and set his jerkin on fire. He started to beat his torso to put the flames out, as Eskel pulled his sword from the scabbard and lunged across the room. Eskel twirled and dodged balls of light that came from what Lambert believed was a statue of a Griffin.

Just as Eskel swung his sword to disarm the statue, a wave of blue light hit him from above, and froze him in midair. His sword made contact first, and sliced through the stone easily. As the top half of the statue fell to the ground, so did Eskel, completely stiff.

Lambert got the flames on his jerkin out, and whispered to Eskel. "Eskel! Are you alright?"

Eskel responded, growling angrily through unmoving clenched teeth. "Yes."

Lambert tightened the straps of his scabbard, drew his steel sword, and crept towards Eskel. Just as he reached the room where Eskel lay, he heard a yell from a stairway along the wall.

"Show yourself! Or your friend dies!" the voice shouted.

Lambert tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. The only sound that could be heard was the leather tightening under his grasp. He thought, planned his next move, and decided. "Okay! Okay, you win." He threw his sword forward into the room by Eskel's stiff body. Before walking forward with his hands in the air, he unfastened a samum bomb from his belt. He slid the bomb into the sleeve of his jerkin, and stepped forward.

"Relax, friend. No one has to get hurt." He looked up to see the man yelling at him. A middle-aged man with a wild look in his eyes stared back. "You must be Istredd."

"And you must be a witcher." Just as Istredd had enunciated the end of his sentence, Lambert threw his arm forward, releasing the Samum bomb from his sleeve. The bomb catapulted across the room, towards Istredd. The sorcerer flicked his fingers and the bomb reversed, and landed in a white-hot explosion right in front of Lambert. The witcher shouted and covered his eyes to no avail. He was blinded.

"Damn it!" Lambert blinked his eyes.

Eskel just let out a low growl sound, for he too was blinded.

Lambert felt a punch throw him backwards. He landed on the ground, hard. His sword flew out of his hands in the impact. He searched for it but instead found a boot. The boot stomped onto his hand, twisting it into the stone floor.

"Thank you, Thom," Istredd spoke. Suddenly the voice was right in his ear. "I see now. You came for your colleague. Hmm."

Lambert could hear Istredd walking around him, he turned his head to follow the sounds. He knew that his vision would soon return. He heard a loud metallic sound like a blade scrapping the floor. It was his sword.

"I've been practicing on your… colleague. I know a few things about the body of witchers now. Trial and error, you see. For instance, I know that you bleed, but it takes a great deal more to cause you any pain. I wonder… is it likely… that you two both feel a flicker of emotion as well?"

Lambert stayed silent, biding his time until his vision returned. The darkness started lightening as Istredd continued.

"You are… the one who is with Keira Metz, yes? Oh, what is your name. I do hate guessing."

Again, Lambert stayed quiet. He began to see shapes. He saw a large shape walk towards him. The shape kicked him over, and again, ground his hand into the stone floor. "Lambert! I'm Lambert!" he shouted through clenched teeth.

"Yes! Lambert, that's right. Also from the school of the wolf." He paused, "so less of a colleague and more family to Geralt, then. Interesting. The closest thing to a brother you freaks can have. Thom, would you mind retrieving my guest?"

The shape had turned into the outline of a man. He walked away, up the stairs. Only to return in a moment, dragging another man, one with white hair. He threw Geralt onto the ground next to Lambert. He could see that Geralt's body had been tortured. He looked weak, pale. His body had bruises and cuts all over it, fine cuts and large cuts alike. Some were still oozing blood and plasma.

"What did you do to him?" Lambert asked angrily. He could see the features of Istredd's face again, though they were blurry. "You fucking monster."

"Ha! Indeed. My hypothesis is correct. As I'm sure that one would react the same," he said, gesturing to Eskel. "I can't wait to see the look on your face, Geralt, when these two die. I want you to know loss and pain. I want you to hurt. Everywhere." He bared his teeth nastily. Geralt lay still, but stirred slightly at the mention of Eskel and Lambert. A sighing sound came from him.

Lambert took the opportunity to grab a dagger from his belt as he lunged at Istredd. The sorcerer again caught the witcher with a spell. Lambert flew backwards against the wall, pinned a foot off the ground.

"And you've just decided who dies first," he said, walking towards him. He pulled the knife out of Lambert's hand, and held it to his throat. He turned around to look at Geralt. "Are you watching, you freak?"

As he turned back around and started to drag the blade against Lambert's neck, an owl flew in through an upper window and transformed into Philippa. She carried her own knife, and landed right behind Istredd. She leaned into his ear and whispered, "Surprise!"

With a graceful movement, she sliced his neck open before he could react. He tried to shout, but no sound came out. She cut him deeply enough to sever his vocal cords. Instead blood spurted from his neck onto Lambert who had landed on his feet, and Istredd crumpled to the floor.

"There, now we're done with that mess. I'm starting to enjoy that," she said, turning to face Thom. "Oh, hello, Thom. Are we going to have trouble?"

The man cracked his neck and drew a sword from his hilt. He widened his stance into a fighting pose.

Philippa watched him with a curious expression on her face.

"Yes, witch, we are going to have trouble," Thom sputtered.

Philippa threw a hand into the air and brought it down suddenly. There was a loud crash. Something heavy landed on the roof. Thom looked up at the ceiling with a strange expression. The deafening sound of wood splintering made Thom visibly scared. But he held onto his sword, waiting.

"Such a pity," Philippa said, distracting Thom. He looked back to her, just as the roof of the room they all were in tore from the rafters. A huge beast landed directly onto Thom, flattening his body to the ground in a wet crunch. A griffin made completely of stone huffed, and walked over to Philippa. She caressed the creature's head lovingly, before releasing Eskel from his paralysis.

Lambert stood motionless, starring at the beast. He glanced to his sword lying on the floor, several feet away. "What the hell is that, Philippa?"

She was busy examining the body of Thom with a repulsed expression on her face. "Whatever do you mean?"

"The griffin in the middle of the room."

"Tend to Geralt, Lambert. He's obviously wounded."

Eskel retrieved a vial of Swallow from his satchel, and tossed it to Lambert. He promptly popped the cork and tipped Geralt's head back, letting the liquid fall down his throat.

Lambert looked to Philippa who was standing over Istredd's lifeless body. She kicked it, hard. "Wanker," she spat.

"We should get him out of here," Eskel said quietly to Lambert, as he looked at the griffin.

Philippa turned and sighed, "Relax, gentlemen. The griffin is under my control."

"That's what I'm worried about," Eskel retorted.

She gestured to the beast. It spread its massive wings and pushed off the ground forcefully, flying out of the gaping hole it had created in the roof. "Worry yourself no longer." She walked over and examined Geralt's body. "He should be able to travel. I trust you can find your way back without me." And with that, she transformed back into an owl and flew through the hole in the roof.

Eskel grabbed Geralt under the armpits, "Help me pick him up."

* * *

The magic that they had performed was powerful and old. Fringilla had fainted during the spell, and Keira was exhausted. It took a great deal of power, but they did it.

Visenna's body lay ceremoniously on the bed, with a sheet covering her. Triss watched her friend. Yennefer sat near the bed with her legs crossed. One hand covered her mouth. She wouldn't speak. They had watched the stab wound on her body heal completely before she had woken up. The color had come back to her body. She just wouldn't say anything, to anyone.

* * *

On the trail, Eskel and Lambert rode in silence. Geralt was sitting up in the saddle behind Eskel, but his eyes were still closed. His breathing had returned to normal, and his wounds were closing, but his body was spent. He needed sleep, and he got it. They were heading back east, to Kaer Morhen, where he could truly rest and recover.

They made camp near a fresh water stream. The lands had almost recovered from the wars that the whole continent had seen. Some patches of dirt that they had passed, bone shards and dried black blood stained the ground.

Eskel helped Geralt off the horse, as Lambert gathered sticks and wood for a fire. Lambert hit two stones together, sparking the twigs that he had nestled together. They ignited and he put the small bundle of flames underneath a tent of logs.

Eskel filled a leather canteen with water from the stream and helped Geralt drink. After he was satisfied, Geralt sighed deeply and opened his eyes. "Thank you… But you should have left me."

Lambert looked at Geralt with an annoyed expression, "Oh, we should have? And why is that Geralt?"

"She's dead."

"We don't know that," Lambert said, a little bit too sternly.

"I watched her…" Geralt trailed off.

"Enough," Eskel said. "Lambert is right. We don't know. We need to get to Kaer Morhen. We can use Yennefer's megascope to contact Keira, unless she reaches us first on that thing."

"A xenovox," Lambert corrected.

"Lambert," Eskel said, looking at Lambert. Lambert shrugged and looked away. "Everybody needs rest. We'll be home tomorrow."

* * *

Yennefer was anxious. She was processing everything that had happened to her in the past days, and it didn't seem real. She did not allow herself to show weakness, but inside she felt a great loss. She was worried about Geralt, worried about him and what she would tell him when she saw him again, what she would do when she saw him.

She watched Triss speak with Keira and got to her feet. She approached them, wincing slightly. While the physical appearance of her wounds had healed, her brain had not yet caught up with her body and it still believed she was mortally wounded.

Triss and Keira spoke about Lambert and Eskel, how they had gone to Aedd Gynvael. She interrupted, "Have you spoken to them since?"

They both looked at her shocked. Keira cleared her throat, "Uh, no. I haven't."

"Well why not?"

"I… wanted to wait until you were asleep. Just in case."

"Just do it. Now."

Keira was defensive, "Okay." She got her xenovox, and performed a spell on it. It connected with Lambert's. She said his name a few times until she heard his voice.

"Keira?"

"Lambert, how are you?"

"We're fine. We have Geralt. He's fine, but he's… not in good spirits. He knows Yen is dead."

Yennefer interrupted again, taking the xenovox out of Keira's hands, "Lambert, let me speak to him." Keira did not resist.

"Yen?" Lambert sounded surprised. "You're all right! Man, it's good to hear your voice."

"I will remember that you said that. But please, Lambert, I'm back from the dead and not in the mood for waiting."

"Right, right."

There was a muffled sound. Then Geralt's voice was on the other end. "Y-Yen?"

"Geralt." She exhaled and closed her eyes. "How are you? Are you hole?"

"I'm fine. Are… how are you? I thought-"

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm fine. I need to see you. It can't wait. Where are you?"

"We're going to Kaer Morhen. He needs rest, Yen. It'll have to wait," Lambert said in the background, with a special emphasis on "it."

"I'll meet you there," Yennefer ignored Lambert's joke. She handed the xenovox back to Keira, and hurried into the other room. Triss followed her.

"Yenna. You shouldn't strain yourself."

"I appreciate the concern, Triss, but please, butt out," Yennefer said, searching through Visenna's things to find some clothes suitable for travel.

"At least let me open the portal, and go with you."

Yennefer paused to consider her offer. "Fine. I need to reach Ciri. Might I borrow your megascope?"

"Of course."

Triss waited as Yennefer changed. As she watched her friend undress, she felt a pang of jealousy, knowing that soon, Geralt and Yennefer would reunite. Yennefer's smooth skin looked radiant illuminated in the sliver of rising sunlight that crept in through a window. She chose tight black riding pants and a loose-fitting white blouse.

They set up the megascope together. Yennefer hated traveling with a megascope, so she chose to leave one at locations that she frequents.

"A bit of privacy please?" Yennefer asked Triss, as she adjusted the crystals on the brass columns

"I'll be in the other room." Triss excused herself.

Yennefer took a deep breath before calling to her megascope back at the home she shared with Geralt and Ciri. Soon, Ciri appeared as a blueish, hazy illusion in front of her.

"Is everything alright?" Ciri asked, she looked concerned.

"Yes, don't worry yourself. Are you well?" Yennefer hesitated. She hadn't thought through how she would tell Ciri about everything that had transpired.

"I'm good! I've been busy stocking our larder, hunting, trapping, and fishing. When will you be home? Where is Geralt?"

"He is fine. But I want to be honest with you. Our time in Lan Exeter did not go quite accordingly to plan," Yennefer said, subconsciously touching the obsidian star hanging from her neck.

"What do you mean, Yennefer? Where is he?"

"He will be at Kaer Morhen in the morning, and I will join him there. I thought you deserve to know what is happening, and that you might also wish to join us."

"You thought correctly. What is happening?"

Yennefer nodded, and paused.

"What is it?"

"It will be better if I tell you in person, when I see you. Can you come to Kaer Morhen?"

"I will leave immediately."

"Be safe, my duckling."

Ciri nodded, "see you soon."

Yennefer ended the communication. She closed her eyes, and her hands shook as she put them on her hips. She took a deep breath.

"Triss! I'm ready." Yennefer said, looking at Visenna on the bed. Triss came back and looked at Yennefer, and then to Visenna.

Yennefer spoke first, "Before we go, we need to honor her, and put her to rest."

"Fringilla, Keira, and Margarita can handle her burial."

"It should be a pyre."

"I will tell them," Triss said, leaving the room to speak with the other sorceresses.

Yennefer stood, staring out of the window, her hands still shook slightly from the anxiety that she felt. Her emotions dulled the phantom pain that she felt in her side. She wondered how long it would take to stop hurting. Then she wondered how long it would take for Geralt to stop hurting once she told him what had happened. She wondered how he would react, knowing that his mother sacrificed her life for her. She wondered if he would resent her, push her away, find himself back in the arms of Triss or Fringilla or anyone else. She thought about what would happen if she were to never tell him, and then immediately pushed that thought out of her mind. Whatever the outcome, she thought, straightening her back and pushing her shoulders back slightly. She took a deep breath just as Triss walked back into the room.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

* * *

Ciri emerged from her glowing green portal. She found herself in one of the training yards on the side of Kaer Morhen, the keep for the witchers belonging to the School of the Wolf. A large hulking, bald man was practicing sword-work with a wooden dummy. Hearing the portal close, he turned around.

"Ciri."

She recognized his yellow, cat like eyes instantly. "Lethe," she replied. He was a friend of Geralt's, but she was always intimidated by his presence. He was truly emotionless, only ever helping if there was an obvious benefit to himself. She, however, acknowledged that when he did help, his aid was invaluable. He not only helped Geralt free Yennefer from the Wild Hunt years ago, but he also helped defend Kaer Morhen from the Wild Hunt's attack a year back. Geralt had offered to let Letho stay at Kaer Morhen, as his new home, and Letho had no reason to turn him down.

"They're inside," Letho said, before returning to his practice.

Ciri pushed open a large wooden door, and stepped into the great hall. She could hear their voices before she saw them. She walked past large columns held the ceiling but also concealed doorways to upper levels of the keep. She passed the mural of the Witcher George slaying a dragon, and saw them through the open fireplace. They were in the dining hall, sitting at a table.

"Ciri!" Yennefer squealed at the sight of her. She rushed around the fireplace and hugged Ciri tightly. Ciri hugged her back, just as tightly, though she was unsure the purpose of the dramatic greeting. They had just seen each other two months before. Yennefer kissed Ciri on the forehead and hugged her again. Ciri felt Yennefer spasm the second time they hugged. When they pulled away, Ciri eyed Yen inquisitively. Triss distracted Ciri's concentration.

"Triss!" The friends hugged as well.

"Ciri, I am glad to see you," Triss said, walking over to the table to have a seat.

"Geralt is not here yet?"

"No, but he should arrive any moment," Yennefer answered, looking at Ciri with a strange expression.

"Is everything okay?"

"Sit down, please," Yennefer spoke softly.

Ciri obliged, taking a seat across from Yennefer, who sat by Triss.

Yennefer began explaining the events of the past few weeks, pausing carefully, which Ciri recognized as her debating which details she would disclose. Ciri listened to the words that Yennefer said, but carefully studied her expression as she spoke each syllable.

"You nearly died," Ciri finally said, when Yennefer had finished the tale. She closed her eyes, "and he's hurt."

"He's healing," Triss interjected.

"Of course he is, he's with Lambert and Eskel," Ciri dismissed the sorceress' attempt to comfort her. "You neglected to tell me who is responsible for all of this terror, Yennefer," Ciri spoke, making eye contact with the woman who had become a mother to her.

Yennefer looked down at her hands, guiltily. "It was an old flame of mine, Istredd. I believe I've told you of him."

Ciri stared at her, before finally saying, "Indeed." She looked at Triss, and back to Yennefer. "Is he dead?"

"He's dead," Lambert spoke, entering the room. "Philippa killed him."

Their conversation had required so much focus, that none of them had heard the doors to main hall open. Eskel walked in behind Lambert, propping Geralt up by his arm.

Geralt smiled slightly at the sight of Ciri. He looked at Yennefer and Triss and held the smile. "Hello," he said, gruffly.

Yennefer leapt to her feet, and rushed to his side. Eskel released him and he leaned on the back of a chair with one hand. With the other, he hugged Yennefer tightly. Her arms squeezed his neck and waist tightly, and her lips trailed his neck, beard, and jaws until they found his lips. They kissed for a long time, only breaking for quick breaths. Ciri looked at Triss who blushed. Ciri felt angry, but had no one to be angry with. She was angry that Geralt and Yennefer had both almost died, and angry that no one had informed her until it was over. But as she watched them, she felt relief.

When they had finally finished kissing, Geralt nodded at Triss before holding his free arm out as an invitation to Ciri. She went to him, and hugged him. She caught Yennefer watching them, blinking away tears. She looked at Triss, who as usual, was focused on Geralt.

When the greetings were over, Lambert and Eskel excused themselves to the courtyard to join Letho in training. Triss motioned for Ciri to join her outside to watch the other witchers, leaving Geralt and Yennefer alone. Ciri sat on a stone wall for a while before tiring of just watching the witchers. She thought of her lessons with Vesemir, and smiled faintly before she jumped off the wall, drew Zireal, and joined in.

* * *

Geralt watched Yennefer's face and hands as she spoke. She insisted that he go first. She asked him what happened, to explain in excruciating detail how he was tortured and rescued. Her face grimaced hatefully when he spoke of Istredd. It gave him a sense of satisfaction to see her so angry, even after all that had happened.

When the conversation paused, he grabbed her hands, holding them in his, "I would weather any storm, knowing that I would see you at the end. I love you."

Yennefer laughed, "So poetic, so romantic." She leaned over and kissed him.

"Now, Yennefer, what happened to you?"

Yennefer looked away. She took a deep breath before starting her story. "I was lying in the street, after he teleported you away. I was certain that I would die. Crowds were watching me, but no one would help. I was rescued, obviously… but I was rescued by your mother, Visenna."

She met his eyes, and Geralt looked at her with a peculiar expression. "My mother? You know her?"

"No, I… know of her the same way that I knew you loved me before you had said it all of those years ago."

"Ah, so you've seen her in my mind?"

She nodded to confirm.

"So… how did that go?"

Yennefer swallowed hard, closed her eyes, "forgive me my bluntness?"

Geralt nodded.

"I was very hurt when she found me. I was going to die, nothing that she could do could save me."

Geralt straightened in his chair.

"The Lodge found us, when I was close to death. Your… mother told them of a way to save me, but it required a sacrifice of another life. She… volunteered herself."

She paused to study his expression. He clenched his hand, but his face did not change. He starred at her as if he were looking through her. "Continue."

"I got to speak with her in my mind, before I woke up. She asked me to tell you that she felt a great deal of regret when she thought of you. She felt that sacrificing herself was a noble gesture to prove this to you. She wanted to… save me from death for you."

His jaw flexed, as he watched her, and didn't reply.

She stared at him, hands shaking. "Are you all right?" she asked, putting a shaking hand up to his cheek. He pulled back slightly, and she lowered her hand. "Geralt, I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say."

* * *

He watched her studying her every movement. She had caught him completely off guard. He felt heavy, but could not speak. He had only ever seen his mother one time since she had given him away. He did not have any allegiance to her, but still felt the weight of her loss. Her hands shook and she put them together in her lap. She stopped making eye contact with him. It seemed as if time stopped, and all he could recognize was his breathing. In and out. In and out. In and out.

"I will return to Corvo Bianco, give you some time to mourn… figure out what you want to do."

"Did you give her a pyre?"

"I did."

"Thank you."

She squeezed his hand, before getting up. "You'll let me know?"

He looked up at her, "Let you know?"

"If you decide that you cannot bear the sight of me any longer."

He turned his head.

She started to walk away, and he reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Yennefer," he paused, "Don't go."

"I thought that you would resent me."

"I could never," he said, standing to meet her. He slid one arm behind her waist and pressed her body against his.

In his embrace, he felt her body shaking. He looked down at her face, and wet tears streamed down her cheeks. She wept, "I'm… sorry, Geralt." She tried to wipe away her tears on her sleeve.

He stopped her and gently wiped her tears with his thumbs, cradling her face in his hands. "Always believing that you are unworthy, undeserving. It's true that I feel sorrow for the loss of my mother, the loss of my chance to see her and speak with her again, to ask all the questions I was too coward to ask the first time I saw her. I feel that loss, and I will mourn, but I need you here… with me as I grieve."

She stood on his tiptoes and kissed him passionately. Their foreheads touched as they held one another, with eyes closed. She kissed him again, before pulling his hand towards the stairwell. She led him upstairs to the guest room without bedroom furniture. She helped him remove his clothing, before removing her own. He inhaled sharply when she touched him. He marveled at her cool skin electrifying his fingertips, as it had always done. He delighted in the shivers he felt in his lower back when he looked upon her naked body. They explored each other hungrily, kissing, gripping, and needing each other on the bear skin rug that lay in front of the fireplace. They didn't bother to light a fire.

Geralt looked up at Yennefer, and she looked down at him as she leaned back. She was dazzling. He sat up and held her close to him as he kissed her neck. She threw her head back and they moaned in unison. And then they made love again.

When they had finally satisfied their cravings, they laid together with legs intertwined. Her head rested on his arm. He stroked her skin with his fingertips as her breathing steadied, and she drifted off to sleep.

Geralt thought to himself, beaten and battered but not broken, they had been through a great deal but always seemed to come out together. He looked at her as she slept. He wondered what their next adventure would look like, and hoped that it could wait. At least a little while.


End file.
